


Watcher in the Woods

by Kalikuks



Series: The Paths We Walk [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blind Character, Blind Hanzo Shimada, Blow Jobs, Body Horror, Body Worship, Dark Fantasy, Dragons, Eldritch, Eventual Romance, Eventual relationship, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Golem Bob, Human Trafficking, Human/Monster Romance, Knotting, M/M, Monster Jesse McCree, Nymph Sombra, Nymph Symmetra, OC Shimada Mom, OC Witch - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outdoor Sex, Pining, Side Sombra/Symmetra, Size Difference, Smut, Starts Dark Goes Into Cute, Surprise Kiss, The Cute goes back into Dark, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Jesse McCree, Trauma, Violence, Warlock Ashe, Weird Biology, sheath fucking, side genyatta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2020-09-18 23:29:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 36
Words: 84,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20321311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalikuks/pseuds/Kalikuks
Summary: Hanzo gets the uncanny feeling that he’s being towered over and instinctually tips his head up, even if he sees nothing.“You can’t see me,” a deep honeyed voice rumbles from above, a good few feet above, Hanzo guesses.“I—“Hanzo’s reply is drowned out when the hunting party crashes through the foliage behind him and the screaming begins.-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --AU Where Hanzo is Blind and Jesse is an eldritch being of sorts that drives men mad when they look upon him. They fall in love.





	1. Saviour

**Author's Note:**

> I have so many WIPs but I ended up starting this one trying to get myself unstuck while writing the next Drink Sweet Salt chapter. Whoops.
> 
> EDIT: Thanks to the hard work of _Starowen on Wattpad, Watcher in the Woods will be available to read in Spanish! Here's the [Translation](https://www.wattpad.com/920395427-vigilante-en-el-bosque-aclaraciones)

All Hanzo knows is darkness now.

Men had come to his home, enemies of his family or otherwise he does not know, just that they have stolen him away in the night. That wasn’t the end of his kidnapper’s cruelty, either. Hanzo had been forced away from his home with the air filled with ash and the screams of the servants and household and the village, but Hanzo could not see what truly was happening to his beloved home.

The men had taken his eyes from him. Punishment for felling their men with his keen marksmanship.

In pain, heartbroken and filled with rage, Hanzo bides his time to make his escape. He does not know if it is day or night, and there are no other sounds aside from the creaking of the cart he’s being transported on. There are heavy shackles on his wrists, and when he tries to bring his dragons forth, they do not rise to Hanzo’s call and the shackles feel heavier still. His guardians have been sealed, and it only fuels Hanzo’s ire.

He does not know the reason for his capture, or who else is caged alongside him in the cart. There had been someone sharing his cage, whimpering in pain, but sometime during the past day of travel the whimpering had stopped and they had grown still. Hanzo keeps to his side of the cage away from the cold body, and prays that they find peace.

Some time passes, and Hanzo notices that the air is no longer filled with the fragrant floral scent of the valley of his home, but the smell of pine. If he concentrates, he can hear birds call and the rustle of wind through the trees. A forest, much different from those surrounding his home. The body of his former cage-mate has long since begun to rot, and Hanzo is nose-blind to the smell.

He can hear the men speaking lowly, closes his unseeing eyes simply by habit to concentrate on their conversation over the clopping of their mount’s hooves.

“They say there is a beast in these woods, that drives a man mad if he lays eyes on it. You don’t think the rotter in the cage would draw it towards us, do you?”

“A beast? You’ve been listening to the babble of madmen too long. This is the quickest way to the market, we can sell off the stock we have and be done. Just focus on that. We’ll be out of the forest before you know it.”

When Hanzo breaks free, he will kill the one who called him _stock_ first.

The chance he’s been waiting for comes that evening when most of the men travel into the wood to hunt. The one who called him_ stock_ is left to guard their captives. Fate is oh so kind. 

Hanzo draws him close by making noise, ignoring his threats to _"open the cage and show him what’s what”_. Hanzo continues, barely manages to hide his smirk when he hears the cage door swing open. The man grabs at him, and that’s all Hanzo allows. He swings his bound hands wildly, striking the man across his face with the heavy shackles they have used to bind him.

The man’s loud angry shouts make it easy for Hanzo to continue striking him, following clumsily when the man stumbles back out of the cage. Hanzo manages to get the man underneath him, pinning him down to the floor of the cart with his weight and the chain of the shackles at his neck. The body under Hanzo thrashes wildly until it doesn’t.

He breathes and listens. The other occupants of the cages, the ones who still live, have stirred, and Hanzo hears the rattle of their chains as they reach for him. His own hands, fumbling over wood and cloth and metal, seek the keys because the man _must_ have had a set to open the cage. His fingers close around a cool ring of metal, dropped in the struggle, and he swings the jangling keys towards the nearest pleading voice.

“Unshackle me.” Hanzo demands, “_Unshackle me!_”

He’s yanked forwards by his wrists into an uncomfortable position, but he cannot fault whoever is undoing his binds. They are just as chained as he is. The click of the shackles coming undone is music to Hanzo’s ears, and he rubs his wrists, willing his dragons to rise to his call.

They do not come so easily, the magic that bound them was powerful, and their power is but a crawl of static underneath Hanzo’s skin. For a moment, Hanzo is worried the bindings had banished the twin spirits entirely. But—

_We are still here. We hear you. We will not leave you._

Hanzo wants to weep when he hears his dragons once more, but he does not have time for tears. The hunting party will return, and they have taken their horses. He must go where horses cannot easily follow, and that means deep into the woods. Freedom, but also possibly a death sentence. It’s not hard to decide it is better to die a free man.

Hanzo inches towards where he figures the back of the cart must be. Those who have freed themselves and others push past him, and he pays them no mind. If he still possessed his sight, he would be doing the same.

His bare feet touch the grass as he gingerly lowers himself from the cart. He can hear the crash of leaves as the others rush into the foliage, likely coming to the same realization as Hanzo. He silently wishes them luck, feeling his way forward with his feet and hands.

His hand hits rough bark just as the thunder of hooves sound in the distance. The enraged shouts of the hunting party cut the air like the howl of a wolf pack, and Hanzo’s feet move before he can decide which way he will flee. He crashes into a tree, losing his balance before scrambling forwards on his hands and knees just as the hoofbeats are coming up to the camp.

_Get up. You must get up. You will die. _We_ will die. We will tell you where your feet must take you but you need to stand. Rise, young master._

Urged by his dragons, Hanzo scrambles up and shoves passed the tree. He listens as his dragons give him warnings of things in his path, using his hands outstretched before him to grasp at things wildly to help himself dodge through. Foliage cuts at his legs and his clothes get caught on low branches, and sometimes his body is clipped by the trunk of a tree. The hoofbeats are pounding the ground behind him, keeping rhythm with Hanzo’s erratically beating heart. 

The path the dragons instruct him to take at least keeps the horses at bay a good distance behind him, the thicker foliage tough for the much larger beasts to push through. The men of the hunting party howl threats and vile things they will do to Hanzo before they gut him and leave him for the scavengers.

Hanzo’s traitorous mind ponders if such a fate befell his mother or brother and he misses the warning hissed in alarm by his guardians.

_CREATURE IN OUR PATH!_  
  
Hanzo crashes headlong into _something_. It is most definitely not a tree, because when Hanzo flails to right himself his hands grasp thick, muscled forearms. They feel thick like tree branches though, and Hanzo’s fingers brush against something thick, almost like metal plating on the outside of the left arm. But it is organic.

He startles when a _second set _of arms helps to right him. Hanzo gets the uncanny feeling that he’s being towered over and instinctually tips his head up, even if he sees nothing.

“You can’t see me,” a deep honeyed voice rumbles from above, a good few _feet_ above, Hanzo guesses.

“I—“

Hanzo’s reply is drowned out when the hunting party crashes through the foliage behind him and the screaming begins. Startled, he jolts away from the noise, right against the body of the one holding him. Hanzo’s face brushes against soft wool, the fabric draped over the form of his new companion.

“What is happening to them?!” Hanzo asks over the cries that have devolved into mad babbling and shrieks of agony.

It sounds like flesh is rending apart amongst the chaos, the men driven to attack and rip at each other, and it almost makes Hanzo physically ill. 

“They saw me,” the stranger voices cryptically, “If you could see me, you’d have befallen the same fate.”

“What— what _are_ you?” Hanzo turns his head back up towards the voice.

“A curse,” the stranger does not elaborate more than that.

All four hands gripping Hanzo move over his form, and lift him easily into one of the sets of arms. Hanzo grips at the wool fabric the stranger wears, voice shrill with fear and demanding, “What are you doing?!"

“You ain’t gonna survive the night if I leave you out here,” the stranger explains calmly, turning and walking through the foliage. Hanzo can hear the twigs snap as the large form of his saviour moves through, carving a path, “You look like you could use a meal. Maybe wash up a lil’ bit. You smell like death.”

There’s a pronounced sniffing noise that follows that statement, followed by a low whistle. Hanzo bristles.

“If you’re going to be rude, set me down!” Hanzo huffs, tired and cranky and wishing this ordeal was nothing more than a terrible dream, “I’ll walk.”

“You can’t see.”

“Then I will hold onto you.”

The stranger makes a strange clicking noise like he’s thinking over something, “You could ride on my back, it’ll be much faster, a lil’ more dignified prob’ly than tripping all over. Though no one will be around ta see _or_ give a damn, an’ if they were they’d go just as mad as the slavers chasing you. You could even nap up there.”

Hanzo grumbles but ultimately agrees, “Fine. I’ll allow you to carry me on your back. But should I find out that you’re taking me to my death or to make a meal of me, I’ll end you.”

“Fair enough,” the creature chuckles, and soon Hanzo is lowered to the forest floor, “Though I will tell ya, human ain’t my cup o’ tea. You should try my deer jerky.”

Hanzo ignores the attempt at conversation to move around the creature best he can. From what Hanzo can tell, he is huge. He apologizes hastily when he missteps and squashes his new companion’s tail underfoot. The creature merely grunts, dead leaves shifting as he pulls his tail from Hanzo’s path.

Soon Hanzo has scaled the creature’s back, clinging tight to a thick mane of fur. The creature hisses a little, and Hanzo readjusts his hands, clinging to the wool fabric the creature is adorned in instead. Huge hands come under him to support his thighs before the two of them press onward.

Sleep beckons, the smooth gait of the creature lulling Hanzo faster to rest than the past— however long Hanzo had been in that cage. He hadn’t realized he was this exhausted. Hanzo cannot let himself rest though, as he’s still uncertain of this creature’s intent. He’s clearly dangerous, in a sense, if men go mad merely by laying eyes on him.

Yet he handles Hanzo so delicately, as if he is afraid one wrong move will harm his passenger. Hanzo can feel the claws on his thighs, they are long, and they are sharp. The creature is taking great care not to prick Hanzo with them. Slowly, Hanzo begins to relax, deciding that if this being wanted to harm him, he would have done so already.

The creature has to pause to adjust his hold on Hanzo after about twenty minutes pass, the human has passed out cold on his back, hands still stubborn in their grasp on his clothes even in sleep. He makes a small rumble in his chest, a noise of sympathy, before he presses on towards his home. The human will need somewhere soft to lay, and then food when he wakes.


	2. Blessings and Curses

Hanzo wakes with the scent of pine in his nose and wrapped up in a pile of furs. When he moves to sit up the bed underneath him sways, and he fumbles a little to make sure he does not topple out of it. He can hear the crackle of a fire and turns towards the sound.

“You’re awake.” There’s no other sound but the shifting of fabric as the creature approaches him, “That’s good. I was afraid you’d succumb to starvation before I managed ta make you anythin’. Poor thing, you’re skin an’ bone. Musta been with the slavers a while, huh?”

“I do not know how long I was in t-their _possession_.” Hanzo scrunches his nose in distaste, the very word foul on his tongue, “They did feed us, but it was barely enough to keep us going.” Hanzo hangs his head, “A lot of the others perished.”

The creature makes a strange grumble, the sound sympathetic, “I figured. You’re alive, at least. That’s a blessin’, ain’t it?”

“I do not feel _blessed_.” Hanzo wishes he could glare at the creature, if only he had a better idea of where he was. He will just have to make do with setting his features into a scowl. “You would not feel blessed either. And before you say anything _else,_ I will not sit through a lecture on what is and is not a blessing from a so-called _curse.”_

The creature is silent for a beat before he _laughs_, the sound deep but also littered with a strange clicking noise. Hanzo bristles, furious that he’s being laughed at, and opens his mouth to retort, but the creature interrupts.

“You an’ I both know that you’re jus’ lookin’ for a fight because you’re angry and hungry and _hurt_.” The creature voices, tone much gentler than what Hanzo deserves admittedly, especially after lashing out like that, “I don’t know what you’ve jus’ been through, an’ what you have lost. But I ain’t your enemy, an’ takin’ your grief out on me is not the answer, an’ it is sure as hell not gonna help you get anything back.”

There’s a pronounced clang as the creature taps a ceramic bowl with what Hanzo assumes is a spoon. Hanzo’s stomach growls so loud its almost a roar to rival his dragons. Hanzo hangs his head again. The bowl clangs again and soon there’s warmth and steam under Hanzo’s nose. There’s a pause he takes before he finally leans in to take the end of the spoon into his mouth.

It tastes like broth made with some sort of fowl, Hanzo guesses, uncertain if the creature would have access to chickens. He certainly doesn’t hear any, just the crackle of the fire, and the wind rustling through the trees outside of… wherever he is. There’s also a creak of rope every time Hanzo moves to take more broth and makes the bed under him sway.

Hanzo doesn’t apologize for his outburst, and when the creature retreats he settles carefully back against the bed under him. Hanzo clutches the edges of it when he moves back too fast and it sways under him more than he is comfortable with it doing. Hanzo shoots a scowl in the general direction of the creature when he hears that strange clicking laugh again.

“Forgive me, I ain’t had company in a long while, mighta forgot my manners,” The creature has approached again, and Hanzo feels the bed come to a complete stop, “Mighta not been the best idea, settin’ you up on a hammock, but it’s better than sleepin’ on the ground. Warmer too. You started shiverin’ something fierce on the way back.”

Hanzo merely nods. The creature is right, it is much warmer. Hanzo’s hands move to seek the furs to blanket himself in them again, mumbling a small thanks when they are set into his hands by the creature. He mutters another when a thicker fur is placed overtop of those as well. It’s been too long since Hanzo’s felt this comfortable, and he sinks into sleep before he knows it.

But not for long. His dreams are filled with fire and smoke and screaming and blood. He wakes in a cold sweat and tosses off the furs in his panic and the hammock sways and threatens to dump him down onto the ground. Hanzo’s caught before he can spill out of it, gently picked up in a pair of arms while he can feel another pair moving in tandem, likely to right the hammock.

Hanzo’s set gently back inside the hammock, and the are furs placed overtop of him once more. Hanzo squeezes his eyes shut and concentrates on the presence of his dragons, calming when he feels them brush against him. It’s the closest thing Hanzo will have to watching swimming koi now, feeling the gentle circling of his dragons in his soul.

It is by them telling him so that Hanzo becomes aware that the creature has not moved from hovering over him.

“I’m fine now.” Hanzo mutters harshly, the venom in his voice lessened by how muffled his voice is as he cuddles into the furs, “You can go about your business.”

The creature only gives a little hum, and Hanzo hears the sway of the fabric he’s draped in as the creature moves away. Leaving Hanzo alone with his thoughts. Well, his and his dragons’. They too are mourning, wondering what has become of their sister just as much as Hanzo is wondering what has become of his brother. What has become of their home. It brings forth the vivid memory of what Hanzo had seen of the fire consuming the castle, right before they caught him, wrestled him down to the floor and the last thing he saw was the flash of the knife before—

“Easy.” Hanzo hadn’t heard the creature move to his side again, startling when a large hand gently pats his back, “You’re just gonna panic yourself.”

“What, are you a mind reader too?” Hanzo spits at him, lifting himself to whorl to face the creature, or at least the direction of his voice, “I did not ask for your assistance, _creature_.”

“You don’t haveta, it is offered up freely, _despite _your attitude.” It is the first time tonight the creature sounds cross, “An’ no, I can’t read minds, but I could hear your breathin’ speed up, all the way from ‘cross the fire too. It ain’t doin’ you no favours, thinkin’ 'bout what your thinkin’ ‘bout.”

The creature heaves a sigh, and Hanzo hears the fabric shift again as the creature moves, to rub at his eyes or temple perhaps, “Look. I’m all ya got right now, an’ you can sit there an’ insult me all you want, you wouldn’t be the first. You’re spittin’ mad, and I told you I don’t blame you. You’ve been treated like shit by those _monsters _for gods know how long. But when someone offers a damn helpin’ hand, it wouldn’t kill you to play nice.”

Hanzo seethes until the anger overflows and he buries his face in his hands and chokes out a sob. The creature makes another one of those strange sympathetic noises in his throat, and Hanzo feels a pair of arms urge him close. He fights the hold initially, but when the second pair of arms fold around him he stops stifling his cries, burying his face in the fabric the creature wears to muffle them instead. 

“You’re angry, an’ I think that’s because you’re hurtin’ an’ scared.” the creature soothes, one hand rubbing Hanzo’s back, a second soothing through his hair as the third and fourth hold him tight in an embrace, “I was the same once, I know how it feels to hurt like you are. To be terrified.”

“How _could _you?” Hanzo grips the fabric the creature wears in his fists, “You’re…”

“A _monster_?” the creature’s voice is laced with a trace of bitterness, and Hanzo stays his tongue, suddenly ashamed, “Believe it or not, I was once like you.”

“Your family was slaughtered?” Hanzo guesses.

The creature rumbles again thoughtfully, and Hanzo can feel the vibrations where he’s been snuggled against, “No.” He sounds distant like he’s lost in memory, “I was human, once.”

“You were human?” Hanzo lifts himself away from the creature’s chest as if to look at him, feeling silly when he remembers he can’t, “But those men…”

“I was cursed into this form o’ bein’, “ the creature explains, “It ain’t my choice to melt the minds of all who happen to look my way. It’s honestly too cruel a curse if you ask me, for the perceived _crime_ I committed.”

Hanzo hesitates before he asks, “Then… what happened to you?”

“I fancied myself a bit of a lover, in my youth. Would woo anyone that walked an’ talked my way, really. The problem started when witch fell in love with me after I had one night with her. Wanted me for her own, but I didn’t care much for her nor did I wanna be tied down.” the creature sighs, “An’ when I wouldn’t marry ‘er she cursed me.” he hums in thought before he speaks again.

_ “You peddle love like it is gold_

_Yet to deny me, your claim is bold_

_No mortal shall your form behold_

_In these woods you will be holed_

_Remaining until the Earth grows old_

_ A monstrous beast of horror untold.”_

Hanzo feels the creature’s body moves as he shrugs when he finishes reciting what Hanzo guesses is the curse, “On the upside, it meant swift revenge for me because _she_ went bonkers as soon as the curse took hold. Awfully specific things, curses.” the creature sighs, “She never did put in a clause for it to be reversed though, so I’ve been this way for _years_. Will be this way for more to come, by the sounds of it.”

“That is… unfortunate.” Hanzo mutters before he slowly gives the creature an awkward pat on what he assumes is his chest, “…I am sorry to have taken out so much on you, you had nothing to do with what has happened to me. I can’t promise I will not let my anger get the best of me but—”

“Apology accepted.” the creature interrupts readily, “I know you don’t really mean to be, well, _mean_. You’re in over your head, lost your family an’ your lack of sight is a recent development too if I hadta guess.”

“Yes.” Hanzo confirms, “I am still…trying to process this all.” 

The creature rumbles in agreement, “I know. I can’t say it’ll all be easy but,” the creature lifts Hanzo back into the hammock and wraps the furs around him, “I’m on your side.”

“Do you have a name?” Hanzo asks before the creature moves from him, “I would… I would like to call you something other then—” Hanzo fiddles with the furs awkwardly, “well, you know.”

“Been a long time since I got to introduce myself to anyone, I should make a good first impression, yeah?” the creature replies, and Hanzo can’t help but chuckle lowly despite everything.

The creature takes Hanzo’s hand in one of his, forever mindful of his claws it seems as he cradles Hanzo’s much smaller hand. Hanzo feels lips brush his knuckles, shudders slightly as fangs graze his skin when those lips part in a smile. A rough, coarse beard tickles his fingers.

“Name’s McCree,” the creature rumbles, “Jesse McCree.”

“Shimada Hanzo,” Hanzo gives a slight bow, “At your service.”

Jesse makes a pleased rumble in response, and Hanzo finds he likes that sound.

“Welcome to my woods, Hanzo.”


	3. A Touch Closer

Hanzo has nowhere else to go, so he remains with Jesse. For the first few weeks, he doesn’t have a choice in the matter, still weak from his ordeal. Jesse nurses him back to health slowly, gives Hanzo space when he needs it, comforts him when his grief rises and Hanzo withdraws into himself.

When he deems Hanzo healthy enough to be on his feet again, Jesse takes him hunting. Hanzo’s clumsy at first, but with his dragons telling him where to tread, and guidance from Jesse on what to listen for, he’s managing to move silently in step with Jesse. Even if he’s got to hold onto Jesse’s tail more often than not when they walk the steeper paths. Jesse doesn’t seem to mind.

When they return from one of their hunts Hanzo laments the loss of his bow, and Jesse’s hand is a comforting weight on his shoulder before they both set about skinning and dressing the deer they caught. Today it is not so painful to recall as it is on some days, so Hanzo speaks more of his love for archery, of how he trained under his mother to hone his skill. Of moments Hanzo spent with his brother Genji, impressing his younger sibling with nearly impossible shots. When grief silences Hanzo, Jesse, in turn, tells him stories about back when he was human, and how he hunted a different sort of quarry than what they are preparing for dinner.

He used to be a very infamous bounty hunter, and when he feels like it Hanzo teases that he assumed Jesse’s “different quarry” had been of a _much_ different sort, considering his tale with the witch. Jesse’s strange clicking laughter booms through the forest, and even scares a flock of birds from the trees.

Hanzo’s head whips towards the sound, and Jesse gives a considering hum.

The next time they hunt, Jesse places a homemade bow in Hanzo’s hands and wraps a belt with a quiver around Hanzo’s waist. Tells him to listen for the flap of wings, before Jesse roars and scares the birds. The movement is still natural as Hanzo draws and looses an arrow. His dragons preen, both vying to tell him that the shot was off, but not too much, and he had wounded one.

For the first time in weeks, Hanzo smiles. 

Jesse retrieves the bird for him from where it has fallen to the earth, wing damaged by Hanzo’s arrow. He’s got a bag to keep it in while they hunt more, Hanzo will only get better with practice after all. In the end, Hanzo only manages to net two birds, but his dragons are still preening from a successful hunt all the same and so is he.

They swap more stories as they prepare the birds to eat for dinner. Hanzo saves some feathers for fletching for more arrows, and Jesse promises to get him the other materials he needs to make more. Hanzo falls asleep near the fire at some point, and wakes up in the hammock the next day, tucked in with furs as always. 

When the nights grow colder and winter sets in, Jesse gives Hanzo warmer clothing to help him stave off the chill. Admitting that he might have purposely scared off some merchants to get at their wares for Hanzo’s comfort. Hanzo scolds Jesse for it while he stomps his new boots through freshly fallen snow. He doesn’t _quite _get the hang of stepping silently through snow, especially when the top layer freezes completely into a crust and crunches underfoot. Jesse offers an elegant solution, and has Hanzo ride on his back while they track prey through the snow.

Jesse has no issue moving from traversing the forest on all six of his limbs to two, and Hanzo barely notices when he does lift or lower himself. Hanzo supposes he must have had a long time to get used to his form as it is now and can control it seamlessly. Evident as well in how gentle he remains around Hanzo. Hanzo in turn tries to be as gentle as possible with Jesse, careful not to tug on his mane as he rides on his back.

It does make Hanzo wonder what Jesse actually looks like. One night, huddled by the fire on the coldest night yet, he asks.

“Would you let me… touch you?” Hanzo flushes when he realizes how it sounds, “T-to _see_ you, I mean.”

Jesse’s silent for a long time and Hanzo shuffles self consciously, ducking his face into the furs. He’s about to tell Jesse to forget it when Jesse finally answers.

“Sorry, you took me off guard,” Jesse says softly, “but if you still wanna, I don’t mind.”

“Alright.”

Hanzo lifts his hand and suddenly doesn’t know where to start. His hand hovers awkwardly before he reaches to touch, setting it on Jesse’s shoulder for a starting point at the very least. From there he moves closer and moves his hand up Jesse’s neck, and after a second his other hand settles on the other side.

Jesse’s neck is thick, but Hanzo’s surprised at the texture of his skin. He rubs his fingers along, towards the back of Jesse’s neck, feeling where skin becomes short, almost velvet-like fur which then thickens into Jesse’s mane at the back of his neck. Hanzo runs his fingers through it, startling and pulling his hands away when Jesse makes a high pitched noise in his throat.

“Did I hurt you?” he asks the same time Jesse blurts, “Sorry!”

Jesse takes Hanzo’s hands gently in his and places them back where Hanzo left off, “Please, don’t stop. You didn’t hurt me, promise. It actually feels real nice.” There’s almost a desperation in his voice that Hanzo doesn’t dwell on as he continues.

He follows Jesse’s mane up until he reaches where his neck connects to his skull, and brings both hands down and along Jesse’s jaw. It feels human in shape, but it goes on too long, like someone stretched it out a few inches too far. Jesse’s jaw is still covered in that coarse beard Hanzo’s felt before, but it feels thicker. Hanzo ponders on if Jesse grew it out for the winter.

Hanzo’s fingers follow the path of Jesse’s jaw back up and to his ears, which are not human in shape at all. They are long, and pointed, covered in that same short velvet-like fur. Hanzo traces the shell of Jesse’s ear, can’t help a little huff of laughter when it flicks against his touch.

Jesse wiggles his head and takes Hanzo’s hand, presses Hanzo’s palm to his cheek. Hanzo lets Jesse rest his hand there, using his free hand to continue his exploration. From Jesse’s ear, Hanzo’s fingers find something ridged and hard, a horn jutting out from Jesse’s head. Hanzo follows the curled shape of it where it moves towards the back of Jesse’s skull. He looks for another and finds the left horn snapped, traces around the edges of the break before his fingers move down.

Jesse flinches as Hanzo’s touch begins to trail down the centre of his forehead, “Careful. I would appreciate if you didn’t poke my eyes out.”

“Is there one close to my hand?” Hanzo asks, pausing in his exploration.

“Yeah. Here, jus’ lemme…” Jesse takes Hanzo’s hand in his.

Hanzo’s hand is carefully lead around not two, but three huge eyes. He can feel the tickle of Jesse’s eyelashes as he blinks, and he lets go of Hanzo’s hand after settling it on the bridge of his nose. Hanzo continues from there on his own, down the bridge of Jesse’s nose. It too feels stretched too far out like Jesse’s jaw feels. Like someone had taken a face made of clay and pulled the lower half much too outward. Almost elongating into a snout but not quite.

Hanzo’s fingers move from the tip of Jesse’s nose to his lips. Feels the rush of air on his fingertips as Jesse exhales. Hanzo traces Jesse’s lips, feels his finger brush a sharp fang as Jesse’s lips part slightly. Hanzo lets his fingers trail down Jesse’s chin, and moves to lift his hand away entirely. 

Jesse catches Hanzo’s hand again in his, and presses it to his cheek. Both of Hanzo’s hands now pressed to his face. Hanzo had forgotten Jesse had moved his other hand to rest there, too lost in his exploration. He rubs his thumbs over Jesse’s cheeks, and Jesse leans his huge head further into Hanzo’s touch.

Hanzo can’t imagine what it must be like, to go without company or a gentle touch for who knows how long. He lets his touch slowly drift higher, and feels that Jesse’s eyes are squeezed shut.

“Is this too much?” Hanzo asks, concerned.

It takes a moment for Jesse to answer, and when he does his voice is rough, “Honestly? It ain’t enough.”

Hanzo is about to ask why, but for the briefest of moments, there is warm breath across Hanzo’s lips. The sensation of lips hovering just above his own. Then, the briefest touch. It’s gone as quickly as it came.

"Hanzo, I-," Jesse's voice is panicked, "'M sorry."

Hanzo blinks as he ponders what’s just occurred as Jesse jolts out of Hanzo’s hands, and slowly Hanzo takes his hands back. They sit in silence, and Hanzo’s never hated being unable to see what expression Jesse must be making more than this moment. Jesse’s moved from sitting at Hanzo’s side, likely retreated to go do something. Hanzo can’t help but feel like some invisible line has been crossed between them, as tenuous as their budding friendship is. Hanzo listens to the fire and thinks.

Before Jesse helps Hanzo into the hammock that night, Hanzo finds and gives Jesse’s hand a squeeze before he cocoons himself in the furs. A silent reassurance and he hopes Jesse realizes Hanzo is not angry. The dragons themselves wish to reassure their friend, whispering their concern and worry until Hanzo silences them so he may sleep. 

But first, he closes his eyes and prays that the dragons belonging to his brother and father have protected them and his mother and that they are safe, as he has done for the last two months. When he drifts off to sleep finally, there’s no screams or fire greeting him.

Only the briefest, fleeting touch of lips on his own. In his sleep, Hanzo smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me at myself: Is chapter 3 too soon for budding feelings and touch starved smooch?  
Me, but with galaxy brain: You are author, this whole fic is self-indulgent AF, you decide what happen and how to happen  
Me at myself: Y-you're so right....
> 
> UPDATE!  
[Minh](https://twitter.com/haedraulics) Drew the [wonderful art](https://twitter.com/haedraulics/status/1240761233571274753?s=21) and gave me permission to embed it into the fic!


	4. Pathways

As spring nears Hanzo’s confidence in traversing the paths around his and Jesse's shared shelter has grown substantially. He knows how to find his way back here and so do the dragons. Their shelter is a grove of pine, grown so close together that their branches Jesse has easily woven into a natural shelter. Hanzo had inspected when it was too cold to move from the shelter and Jesse’s side.

His dragons have helped by informing him when Jesse’s collection of stuff was in his way. Over however long he’s resided in the woods, Jesse’s amassed many an item from the merchant caravans that travel through the forest using the main trade road that connects two towns on either side of the woods. From what Hanzo can tell, there are books and pottery, innumerable trinkets and baubles, some Jesse has found a use for and some he hasn’t.

Hanzo asks, during the last few nights of winter, when Jesse is still avoiding him and Hanzo has grown too frustrated with him, that if he will not talk of the "incident” that happened that night will he _at least _read to Hanzo? Jesse apologized and agreed to read to Hanzo. After a few nights of Jesse and him curled next to the fire with a book of legends, Hanzo admits that he misses being able to read, and misses listening to his father’s stories.

Jesse rumbles in thought in response. Not long after, when the snow has melted and the forest is waking from its winter slumber, Jesse comes back into the shelter with more books. Hanzo scolds him for scaring off more merchants, but he can’t help but be a little pleased. The gifts are thoughtful, and Hanzo admits he enjoys hearing the tales spoken in Jesse’s honeyed voice.

The stories help to make the cold nights pass quicker, and while the spring still brings with it a chill, there is a freshness of renewed life and growth to the air that Hanzo finds more pleasing than the sharp bite of winter air. Jesse takes Hanzo hunting again, where during the coldest days of winter Hanzo had been left inside their shelter lest he freezes. Hanzo’s more than happy to be able to accompany Jesse, and to aid in the hunts.

He lands pheasants and rabbits, who scamper through the underbrush, stirring leaves and branches as they try to escape Jesse’s path. His dragons preen and tell him his arrows land more accurately every time, his hearing honed to better predict his prey’s path. Jesse carries the game for Hanzo on the way back, letting Hanzo cling to his back as he has done before.

He asks Jesse if he thinks Hanzo will ever hunt on his own, at least close to the area of their home. Hanzo knows the paths around the pine grove well, but the forest is huge and still unnerving, but Hanzo desires the independence he once had. Jesse hums in thought, asks if the dragons Hanzo carries with him would help if Jesse provided means for Hanzo to identify the paths leading home.

Hanzo answers yes, curious as to what Jesse may mean, but it doesn’t come to light until weeks later. Jesse doesn’t allow Hanzo onto his back to hunt today, instead taking Hanzo’s hand and leading him forward.

“Here. Do you feel it?” Jesse stops Hanzo at a point before the tree line of their pine grove clearing, where suddenly there is not dirt but a flat stone set into the earth.

It’s been cracked in the middle, Hanzo can tell by feeling it underfoot, with the shards of the stone pointing different ways. A compass. Jesse shifts as he leans down beside Hanzo, takes Hanzo’s leg gently by the calf. Hanzo grips his fur to balance himself but allows Jesse to direct him.

“To the river, west,” Jesse says, placing Hanzo’s foot first on top of the point of the stone arrow, then places Hanzo’s other foot on top of an additional stone.

The stone’s topical area is carved in waves, mimicking the surface of the river rapids. Hanzo is introduced to the other points of the compass the same way, their significant landmarks all things Jesse made sure Hanzo can hear or smell. The swift western river with the wave rock, the eastern frog pond with the circular rock, the roaring waterfall to the north with the squared rock.

South, back home to the grove and the scent of pine, marked with the squiggled relief of what Hanzo assumes is Jesse’s attempt to carve a dragon.

Hanzo’s face hurts from smiling. But it is not the only surprise Jesse has for him. More stones, buried into the paths Jesse made sure were clear for Hanzo, aid Hanzo in reaching these places. Jesse allows Hanzo to go first, and with his dragon’s aid, finds each stone Jesse placed along the way, set about 5 feet apart. They spend the day helping Hanzo memorize these paths.

Thirty-two stones to the river, eighteen to the frog pong, forty-three to the waterfall basin. Only five to return home to the pine grove from the stone compass. All of them paths Jesse has taken Hanzo to hunt. All of them paths Hanzo looks forward to being able to walk on his own.

“Well?” Jesse begins when they return to the pine grove after they both located some berries and edible roots to eat with their dried rabbit jerky for dinner, “Will this work for ya?”

Hanzo turns to Jesse’s voice, tipping his chin up so Jesse can still see the smile on his face. His dragons share his joy, eager to hunt as much as Hanzo is to have more independence to do so on his own again.

“It will.” Hanzo swallows hard, so his emotions will not choke out his voice, “I… Jesse this means much more to me then you can possibly understand.”

Jesse leans down to press his huge head to Hanzo’s shoulder, so he can feel his warm fanged grin against his shoulder. Hanzo reaches up to cradle Jesse’s huge head, leans his own to press against Jesse’s temple. Laughs softly when he accidentally pins Jesse’s ear and it flicks against his nose. Hanzo’s soon lifted by all four of Jesse’s arms into a warm hug.

“Glad I could help ya, even if only a little,” Jesse says as he sets Hanzo back down gently, “I wanna help you feel like you can do some of the things I know you prob’ly usedta.”

"I am grateful for your assistance.” Hanzo admits, “I would be lost without you. In more ways than one.”

Jesse gives him another reassuring nudge, and Hanzo cannot help but reach searchingly to gently rub Jesse’s ears. Jesse makes a happy little hum in response. Hanzo chuckles when Jesse’s heavy head leans more into his hands. An idea occurs, and Hanzo scratches behind Jesse’s ears, fingers tangling in the shaggy mane of his friend.

“Is there anything you'd like me to do for you?” Hanzo asks, “you’ve done a lot for me, but I have not done anything for you.”

Jesse seems to pause under Hanzo’s hands for a long time, and he begins to worry it may have sounded odd before Jesse speaks, “You don’t gotta, Han. This arrangement ain’t transactional, and to be perfectly fair, your company is more than I could ask for.”

Hanzo nods in understanding, and he idly runs his fingers through Jesse’s mane again. It catches on a few snags, and Jesse grunts a little as his hair is tugged.

“On second thought,” Jesse sounds very sheepish when he speaks next, “I uh, I would be real grateful if you could brush my mane? There’s just a lot o’ it an’ I can’t reach it all, even with four hands. Some spots along my back are probably a right mess.”

“I can do this for you.” Hanzo works his fingers through he few tangles he felt earlier, “You will have to provide a brush strong enough to get through these though.”

“I bet I can find one in all the junk I’ve gotten off of merchant carts.” Hanzo hears a few smacks of Jesse’s long tail against the brush to the sides of the path, clearly he enjoys the idea of getting his mane sorted out and tended to, “Maybe you can brush my mane out as I read to ya?”

“Sounds like we have an agreement.”

An agreement that they put into effect that night. Hanzo listens to Jesse read from another one of the books as he’s working a brush through Jesse’s mane. Just as Jesse said, some parts are more than tangled, and Hanzo has to work the brush through the matted hair over and over. Tugging it roughly when the brush gets stuck. Jesse’s a good sport through it all, staying still under Hanzo’s hands. If anything, Jesse’s been making a weird sort of deep rhythmic vocalization under his normal speech.

There’s also lot more to Jesse’s mane than Hanzo anticipated, the entire length of it runs down his back to the start of his tail. Jesse had to remove the fabrics he wears just so Hanzo can get to all of it. Hanzo’s hand is admittedly starting to get sore from tugging the brush through Jesse’s mane so violently, but with more care and routine it will be far easier to do in the future. 

_It could have been a much worse future, _Hanzo thinks to himself, running his fingers through Jesse’s mane after he’s worked the knot loose. Following the silky trails he’s leaving as each section of the mane is thoroughly brushed. Jesse’s subvocalization grows louder even as he continues reading aloud. It brings a small smile to Hanzo’s face. Once it is all brushed through, Jesse’s mane feels so nice under his hands.

Without thinking, Hanzo leans down and rests his head behind Jesse’s, where his mane is thickest at his shoulders. Jesse stiffens under him for a moment, but relaxes and keeps reading, even as Hanzo nuzzles into the thick fur. Hanzo doesn’t realize he’s fallen asleep until he wakes later in the night. Four arms have curled tight around him, the huge form of Jesse spooning him and keeping the chill of the night at bay.

Hanzo doesn’t bother to move, just wiggles back against Jesse’s form to leech more of his warmth and drifts back off to sleep.


	5. Night Terrors

_Hanzo draws another arrow._

_The raid had come from nowhere, the village attacked in the night. In these times of peace, such attacks were supposed to be unheard of. There is fire and smoke in his nose, making his eyes water. As far as he can tell, these bandits are not after the castle or its defences, but its people. _His _people._

_He looses the arrow, and it finds its place in the throat of a man dragging a woman away. She screams as he falls, and Hanzo rushes to her side, pulls her up and shoves her towards somewhere safer. She thanks him and runs. _

_ It is something that he has to, unfortunately, repeat over and over. Felling men, these slavers, as they try to take people from their homes. His presence is not unnoticed, and the slavers begin to target him. Too soon he’s overwhelmed, grabbed, and pinned to the ground. He fights, even bites at of them, and that’s when they pulled the knife on him and…_

Hanzo wakes with a scream building in his throat, thrashing at the weight on top of him. Unlike the arms that had pinned him as they took his eyes, these ones are easily thrown off of him, and he scrambles away as fast as he can. He trips over himself, crashes to the ground which is the last straw and he sobs brokenly against the dirt.

Fabric shifts behind him as he feels a presence lean over him. Two large hands pull him from the ground as another checks him over for injury and the last pulls his loose hair from his face. Coaxing the dark strands of hair away from where it is plastered against Hanzo’s face with tears and snot.

Hanzo curls into Jesse, clings to the fabric that his friend wears as he tries to calm. He feels light-headed, his breathing too quick, and Jesse places a hand on his back and gently begins to rub up and down. Small motions of comfort, and a deep rumbling purr that eventually is enough to help Hanzo stop trembling.

He feels his dragons stir, brushing against him to offer their own comfort. Once Hanzo stops trembling, Jesse carries him back to the bed, sets him down and wraps him in blankets. He only moves from Hanzo when Hanzo lets him. Before long Jesse returns, offers Hanzo some berries they had dried earlier that day.

Hanzo takes them and nibbles at them quietly. He can hear Jesse moving around and shuffling things. He comes back and settles in front of Hanzo.

“D’ya wanna talk?” Jesse asks softly.

Hanzo shakes his head.

Jesse makes a small grumble, and is silent for a beat, “Can I lay my head in your lap?”

Hanzo merely nods, allows Jesse to rest his head in his lap. Hanzo is still for a very long time before he lifts his hand and pets through Jesse’s mane. A rumble of contentment begins up as Hanzo plays with Jesse’s fur. A small smile crosses Hanzo’s face when he hears Jesse’s tail begin to thump against the ground.

“Feelin’ better?” Jesse asks after a while.

“I do,” Hanzo replies, “Thank you. What time is it?”

“Almost dawn, I reckon.” Jesse lifts his head from Hanzo’s lap and Hanzo hears those fabrics shift as Jesse stands, “I’ll go to the stream for some water, you gonna be okay?”

“I will be fine now. It was just a dream.”

Jesse is silent for a moment before he leans down and gently nudges Hanzo’s shoulder, “I ain’t a stranger to when nightmares ain’t just nightmares, Han. I’m here to talk if ya wanna. I ain’t gonna make ya, but it’s on the table if ya want.”

Hanzo sighs and reaches to pull Jesse into a hug. Rests his cheek against Jesse’s forehead above his third eye before he lets Jesse pull away. Jesse gives Hanzo a nuzzle before he does so.

“Thank you, for the offer, but I am not… ready. To talk.” Hanzo admits.

“Alright.” Jesse pats Hanzo with one of his hands before he moves away, and Hanzo hears Jesse collect the buckets he has to get water from the stream, “I won’t be long.”

“Should I go hunting?” Hanzo asks before Jesse moves too far.

“If ya wanna,” Jesse grunts as he hefts the heavy buckets up, “maybe see if your little friends can spot a quail’s nest in the bush? Might be nice to cook up some eggs. One thing I miss from bein’ able to live among people, bein’ able to keep livestock an’ chickens.”

“Perhaps we can find a way,” Hanzo moves from the bed and gathers his clothes for the day where Jesse leaves the clean garments folded on an old crate nearby, works on putting them on, “Have you ever thought of building a proper homestead?”

Jesse makes a considering hum as Hanzo’s hands search for the cloak he knows is hung up nearby. Hanzo pulls it on and grabs his bow and quiver, his dragons helping by telling him where the straps must go to don the equipment.

“Never really did think ‘bout doin’ something like that,” Jesse’s admits, “but also never had tools to build a home out here. Kinda just… became the creature that witch cursed me to be. Living in…” the buckets squeak as Jesse motions around their space, “this lil’ pine… grove? Shelter?”

“…We could build something together.” Hanzo points out, “You scare off merchants all the time, surely you can find a cart that has supplies that we will need.” Hanzo thinks for a second, “If not, all those crates must have nails in them. We could reuse them. And the wood for that matter.”

Jesse hums, a sound of agreement, “Yer right, we could!”

“We can talk more over breakfast?” Hanzo suggests, testing his bowstring, “I’ll see what I can do about getting some eggs.”

“I’ll get some water an’ have it ready, if you need me, jus’ holler.” Jesse gently nudges Hanzo’s shoulder.

They both leave the pine grove, moving their separate ways. Hanzo puts the memories recalled in his sleep as far back in his mind as possible. His dragons are helping keep him distracted, as always they are excited to hunt. Hanzo uses the path Jesse made to head towards the waterfall.

He manages to catch a rabbit and a quail and sends his dragons out to find the quail's nest. The twin dragons flick back and forth, eggs cradled in their jaws that they deposit into a small basket Hanzo has set out. As they collect the eggs, Hanzo rests against a tree, leaning heavily against the rough bark. The waterfall still roars a good distance away, audible even under the rustle of the wind through the trees. The air feels damp and cool, there must be mist in the forest today. 

Hanzo feels his dragons return to him as they complete their task, and they nuzzle up to him, still worried over him and likely shaken themselves from the memory that woke him. Hanzo lets them, sighing softly.

That’s when he feels the other presence.

He straightens immediately, head whipping around, his dragons also on alert. It’s incredibly faint and lasts just a split second, but it is oh so familiar, and Hanzo instinctively steps in the direction he felt it from. His mind is reeling, back to before his current state, back to the castle, to his brother.

Back to when they were young and couldn’t sleep and would send their dragons back and forth with messages and candies late at night.

Hanzo feels even more lost when he cannot feel the presence again. He steps towards where he thinks it was again as if to chase the hint of it. Crying out to the woods around him.

“Genji?!”


	6. A Promise Made

Jesse's back from collecting water before Hanzo returns. Which is fine, initially, because Jesse knows that hunting can take a while. However, as the day fully dawns it starts to gnaw at Jesse that his tiny human friend is not back from the hunt. Worried, Jesse makes his way out of their pine shelter and down the path he’s sure Hanzo took this morning.

He finds the basket Hanzo had taken to collect eggs just left out on the path, the quail eggs still inside. Hanzo is nowhere to be seen. Jesse lowers himself down so he’s on all six of his limbs, studying the ground, all three of his eyes darting every which way as they scan the path. There is no sign of struggle or the scent of blood, so Hanzo likely is still alive.

Jesse’s centre eye spots the tracks he’s certain belongs to Hanzo and follows the footprints he left. They veer into the foliage, in such a way that Hanzo seemed to have run. Was he chased by a predator? Jesse lifts himself back up to his full height and makes his way, tail flicking behind him in his anxiety.

Jesse has to duck under branches and pull foliage aside as he follows Hanzo’s path. His human friend has torn through here, there are snapped twigs and flattened plants and disturbed earth. Jesse’s ears are perked and swivelling, and his third eye is scanning all around for Hanzo. He comes to the top of a dried stream bed, and peers down the slope.

There, at the bottom, Hanzo sits curled in on himself, looking a right mess and favouring his ankle. He must have fallen down the embankment. Jesse has to turn himself around to grasp at a nearby tree to lower himself down carefully. Eventually, he is finally at Hanzo’s side.

Hanzo doesn’t even lift his head when Jesse calls his name. Jesse carefully sits down next to him, leans down so he can peer at Hanzo’s face to make sure he’s alright. Hanzo’s face is a mess of dirt and snot and angry tears, his ruined eyes are glaring at nothing. Jesse rumbles softly, leans in and nudges Hanzo’s shoulder gently.

“You alright?” He asks softly.

Hanzo shakes his head no. Jesse looks down to where Hanzo’s gripping his ankle. Gently he reaches for it, hovering his hand over Hanzo’s before the human moves his hand from where he’s cradling his ankle. Jesse gently lifts Hanzo’s ankle after Hanzo has adjusted himself so he can. Gently, Jesse checks it for a break, and after it is confirmed it is only a sprain, he gently sets Hanzo’s ankle back down and turns to Hanzo.

“Ain’t broke, so that’s good.” Jesse gently pats Hanzo on the shoulder.

Hanzo just stays silent and continues to glare ahead. Though his bottom lip is quivering and his unseeing eyes are starting to water. Something must have upset him, or he’s in more pain than he’s letting on. Jesse rumbles in sympathy and carefully moves his arms to lift Hanzo.

“Gonna pick you up, okay?”

Hanzo nods, and ducks his head. Jesse lifts him up, cradling Hanzo gently to his chest. Hanzo’s hands grasp the fabrics Jesse wears, his knuckles white. Two of Jesse’s arms support Hanzo, and he digs the claws of his extra hands into the earth for purchase as he carefully climbs back up the slope to head back to the path.

Hanzo is silent all the way up, but Jesse can feel him shaking. Once they are back on the path, Jesse collects the basket of quail eggs and begins the trek back home. The hand he has supporting Hanzo’s back starts to gently rub up and down like he had done this morning. Jesse hears a quiet, ragged gasp, and Hanzo clutches to Jesse tighter. Jesse cradles Hanzo closer and quickens his pace.

When they get back to the pine grove, Jesse immediately sets Hanzo down on the bed he made for him. Gently, Jesse wraps Hanzo’s ankle up with a cloth and helps him set it up on a folded blanket. He does not mention the fresh tears on Hanzo’s face. He figures Hanzo wouldn’t appreciate it anyway, considering his stony silence.

When Hanzo is settled back in, Jesse makes breakfast. A meal will definitely help Hanzo overcome this rough morning. Poor thing, it’s just been one thing after the other. Before long, Jesse’s got a meal cobbled together for Hanzo and himself. He lets Hanzo have most of the eggs since he went out and got them.

It’s not until the meal is finished that Hanzo even speaks.

“I felt her, Genji’s—That’s my brother— I felt his dragon,” He begins in a rush, and Jesse gently takes Hanzo’s plate from him, but remains close to listen, “I-I think he’s looking for me. She was so close by, _so close, _but she couldn’t reach me. I felt her for only a moment, and then I tried to chase her, see if I could find her, but then I tripped and fell down that _stupid embankment.” _Hanzo balls up his fists in his frustration, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes again.

Jesse pats his shoulder and Hanzo grasps desperately at this wrist, “What if she missed me entirely? What if she can’t find me again, or because she missed me he writes off this area entirely—“

“Easy now.” Jesse places his other hand on Hanzo’s opposite shoulder to give him something to ground himself with, “You’re gettin’ too much into thinkin’ on the bad here. You were close enough to feel ‘er nearby, yeah? Can’t she have done the same? Sensed ya too?”

“I—“ Hanzo pauses, finally seems to try to slow his frantic breathing, “I— perhaps? W-we never really thought to test anything like that with the dragons. We were never spread so thin before.”

“So that means there’s a chance, yeah?” Jesse leans and gives Hanzo a gentle nudge to try to further comfort, “And, that aside, it means your brother is alive. That’s good!”

“Yes… That is good.” Hanzo nods, calmer, “I should try to find him. I would already be out there looking for him if it weren’t fo-for.”

Hanzo touches his own face, likely to rest head in his hands in frustration, but he jolts away when his hands come into contact with the rough scarring around his eyes. Jesse rumbles in sympathy and pats Hanzo’s shoulder.

“I can’t do much, but I promise I’ll help you find a way to get out there and look for ‘im. Give ya my word, and my word is all I got _left_ to give so, I _gotta _make it count.” Jesse lifts his head and looks around his piles of collected junk he’s stolen off of merchant carts, “I gotta have _somethin’ _in here that could help ya. Only got _piles _of books an’ shit. Might be able to ask a favour or two of the other folks in the woods, too.”

“There are others who live in these woods?” Hanzo asks as he shuffles to grasp the cuff of his sleeve and uses it to wipe his face, “Well, you’ve lived here a long while, you would know. Any help at all, well, it would mean much to me, Jesse. Thank you.”

Jesse gently pats Hanzo’s shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze, making what he hopes is an equally comforting rumble in his throat. Hanzo smiles, and it’s such a rare and precious sight, that Jesse knows immediately he’s in trouble. Already trying to plan ways to make that smile appear again.

Eventually, Jesse manages words. “Ain’t a problem Han. Ain’t a problem at all.”


	7. Through the Woods

A week after Jesse makes his promise he takes Hanzo deeper into the woods than they’ve been since Hanzo first arrived. Hanzo can feel the shift in temperature, can feel it when the boughs above get so thick they block out the sun. He also had to clamber up Jesse’s back so the two of them are not impeded, or at least Hanzo specifically is not impeded by the thick foliage of these rarely travelled paths.

They are moving deeper into the wood to seek out the glade of a nymph Jesse is aware of, in order to seek aid for Hanzo’s predicament. Just as Jesse has promised. Jesse is also laden with camping gear for their trip, as they may have to stop to rest some time on the journey. The nymph’s glade is about a day and a half’s travel from where Jesse has made his home, according to Jesse.

He’s also not too sure how she’ll take his sudden arrival since they keep to their respective ends of the vast forest they both call home. Jesse’s also sheepishly admitted that she may not be too happy to see him, since the last time Jesse had sought her out they’d not exactly parted on the best of terms. The reason one that he will not give to Hanzo, but if he had to guess, it may have been about the curse laid on Jesse.

If she had not helped Jesse then, Hanzo holds little hope that this nymph will help him. But Jesse insisted they at least try after his own look through the books he’s stolen off of merchant carts yielded little result. So here they are.

It isn’t long before Jesse soon sets Hanzo down so they may make camp. Hanzo hunts, though he makes sure not to stray far from Jesse, and for dinner they dine on a rabbit felled by Hanzo’s arrows. Jesse makes them a lean-to over the branches of a nearby tree, and when they bed down for they night Hanzo finds himself nestled safely in the hold of all four of Jesse’s arms. He’s so warm and comfortable that when the morning comes Jesse simply picks him up, gathers up their camp and continues on, and Hanzo doesn’t even wake until his companion is a good hour into the remaining stretch of their journey.

Jesse at least has an easier time traversing the paths without Hanzo in his arms. Hanzo gets as comfortable as he can on Jesse’s back, but he will admit only to himself he was rather enjoying being carried. Until then, he settles best he can on Jesse’s back and just listens.

There’s Jesse’s breathing, the shifting of the fabrics he wears, but beyond him, there are still the birds who sing in the trees. The sound of the wind moving through. It smells muskier and even damper in this area of the woods than it does in their pine grove home. There must be a lot of moss, or a lot of dead leaves still on the forest floor that dampens the noise of Jesse’s steps.

There’s a sound, that is faint, but it catches Hanzo’s ear all the same. He lifts his head off of Jesse’s back to make sure he is not mistaken. Somewhere, beyond the noise of the woods, there is something out there, a rhythm. A _ba-bump, ba-bump._

A heartbeat.

Hanzo tugs at Jesse’s mane to get his attention, “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“I thought I heard a—“ Hanzo pauses since he cannot hear the noise anymore, “I thought I heard a heart beating.”

Jesse is silent, is completely rigid under Hanzo to the point where Hanzo’s not even too sure he’s breathing. It’s a strange moment of still, eerie silence. Before Hanzo can call attention to it, Jesse is moving again, away from where Hanzo is certain he heard the noise coming from. His pace is much quicker than how he’d been travelling before, it fills Hanzo with a sense of unease.

“Are we in danger?” Hanzo asks, taking one hand from where it is clutching Jesse’s fabrics to feel at his belt for his quiver, “Jesse?”

Hanzo’s voice seems to snap Jesse out of _something_, that rigidness melts out of Jesse’s form and he grumbles, “Sorry I—I dunno what came over me jus’ now. Sorry if I scared ya.”

“It is alright, I’m more worried about you,” Hanzo replies, “You’ve never acted like that. Did something frighten you?”

“You could say that,” Jesse replies softly, “I dunno, something just felt really _off_ all of a sudden, I don’t remember feelin’ this way when I came through before.”

“The first time you went to this nymph?”

Hanzo still has one hand twined in Jesse’s mane, and it’s through that touch that he feels his companion nod before Jesse remembers Hanzo cannot see his movements, “Yeah, the first time I went t’her.”

“Have you been through this way ever since?”

There’s a heavy pause before Jesse answers far too quickly, “Nope, can’t say I have.”

“Alright. But that time you’ve come through,” Hanzo presses, “Was there any sound like the one I heard? The heartbeat?”

“Nuh-uh. Can’t rightly recall hearin’ a heartbeat.”

“Maybe when we’re on the way back,” Hanzo ponders aloud, “Maybe then you will hear it too. Because it was not you, and it could not have been me—”

“Hanzo, I gotta ask you to_ drop it._”

Jesse’s reply is sharp and snappish, and it startles Hanzo to hear such animosity from his friend. Jesse seems to notice his lapse in temper, and he grumbles softly, making a clicking noise before he sighs.

“Look, Han, beyond me, an’ beyond this nymph we’re seein’, there’s a lot in these woods you don’t know. I’d feel better if you kept from pokin’ around the deep woods. That… _way, _where that noise mighta come from, where I think it is comin’ from, it is _bad news_, Hanzo. I would put the thought of it outta your mind if I were you. It’s much safer.”

It’s weird to hear such a being as Jesse, once human but twisted to melt the minds of men no less, sound so frightened that it shocks Hanzo into silence.

“Alright,” Hanzo answers a moment later, “I will not press on it anymore. Sorry.”

“S’okay,” Jesse replies, voice quiet, “If anythin’ it should be me apologizin’, I shouldn’t have snapped at ya.”

“I accept your apology.”

Jesse hums his acknowledgement, but for the remainder of the trip, nothing is said between them. Hanzo is fine with that, it lets him quietly contemplate Jesse’s strange behaviour and outburst. His dragons agree that it seemed out of the blue and very unlike their companion. He’s lost in his thoughts and conversation with his twin spirits that it takes him far too long to realize the wind has shifted, carrying with it a warm floral breeze and the sound of a babbling brook. The air shifts from the coolness of the dense forest to the warmth of a sunlit glade.

They’ve arrived at their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long!  
I work retail so November and December kicked my ass and I spent January trying to get back into the groove of writing and mainly focused on other projects.  
I have a lot of ideas forming for McHanzo projects to do after this fic, Drink Sweet Salt and Dragon Princes are complete, so it's also been a little hard to focus on them all


	8. The Glade

It's always an interesting day when people come to shatter the peace of her glade. Normally, it’s humans entering her home, braving the rumours of the cursed beast on the other side of the forest to come to ask of her knowledge, favours or blessings. Sometimes all three. Often for a price, because information and other boons cannot be given without payment, after all.

So when Sombra receives word of visitors delivered on the wind and descends into the meadow of her glade, lowered from the canopy cradled in flowering vines, she certainly expects much of the same. She does not expect, or welcome really, the appearance of Jesse at the edge of the tree line. She scowls as he glances at her uncertainly before he slowly makes his way towards her.

She watches each step of his large taloned feet with much scrutiny, waving her hand to move away her still budding flowers from being tread on. He’s got at least enough insight to keep his stupidly long tail in check. Unlike last time. Jesse’s also seemed to have gotten used to his spindly digitigrade legs, instead of tripping all over the place and falling into the bushes the last time he _graced_ her with his presence.

A snarky greeting dies on her lips when she notices that his lower set of arms are folded behind his back, tucked under a much smaller _human_. Curious, very curious, considering the nature of Jesse’s curse. Sombra’s interest is piqued, to say the least, just enough to stay her tongue as Jesse lowers himself to offload his passenger.

The human has seen better days, that’s for sure, haggard and in need of tidying his unkempt beard. He’s _heavily_ scarred around the eyes, which explains why he can be in Jesse’s presence. He’s taller than her but still dwarfed by Jesse’s unnatural height. Not counting Jesse’s horns. Never counting Jesse’s horns.

Interestingly, the human has a bow and quiver, and there is something lingering within him that harkens to a power far more powerful than the storms that sweep through the area from time to time. It certainly writhes like a storm, or more accurately, a serpent. Or two.

Sombra will entertain these two if only to learn more about what that power this human wields is. But first, she pointedly meets Jesse’s three-eyed gaze and raises an eyebrow. He catches on quick enough.

“Lady of the shadowed woodland glade,” Jesse intones, voice grave. He’s laying it on a little thick, which Sombra notices, but she says nothing and lets him continue. If he wants to kiss her ass after destroying half her glade fumbling around like a newborn baby deer after he first gained this form then she’ll let him. “We seek your aid—”

“For this one?” Sombra struts closer, the flowers of her meadow blooming to turn to follow her like sunflowers follow the sun. She approaches the human and takes his chin in hand, squashing his cheeks together. The touch surprises the human and he tenses at the feeling of her thorn-like nails. Otherwise, he stays still as she surveys the damage to his eyes, which she motions to as she turns back to Jesse, “I’m guessing that it’s _all this _you want to fix?”

“If you could, I would be rather thankful,” the human’s mouth moves under Sombra’s hand, and he rubs at his jaw when she releases her hold, “Or at the very least help me find a way to traverse the world better than I have been. I need to leave these woods to find my brother.”

“I see.” Sombra taps her chin, lifting her other hand to raise the roots that cut across her meadow home to form a chair under her as she reclines, “Well, I can tell you right now, nothing _I_ can do will return your sight as it was. You’d need to seek an even higher power than I, and I’m afraid that kind of thing is in short supply in these parts. Miracles are not cheap either, though what I can offer you is not either to be fair.”

“So what _can_ you offer me? And what must I offer in turn?” the human jumps right at the chance to bargain and hasn’t even introduced himself. Typical.

“Let us start with your name for one, you rude little thing,” Sombra scolds.

The human seems properly abashed, and he bows, “Shimada Hanzo, at your service, my lady.”

“Pleasure to meet you _Hanzo_,” Sombra begins before getting right back to business, “Now, about this offer, before I can continue I’m going to need you to confirm something for me, and that is the identity of the power within you. I can sense it, it’s like a storm.”

Hanzo seems hesitant, but Jesse leans down and gives his shoulder an encouraging nudge with his stretched, snout-like face, “I carry spirit guardians with me, they are specific to my bloodline. Twin dragons spirits, to be exact. They have been a boon in of themselves but there is only so much I can rely on them for, and constantly calling on them tires me.”

“Interesting,” the forest nymph muses, “Their presence may work more in your favour than you realize.”

“How so?”

“There is a rare tincture I know of,” Sombra begins, “that those who seek to truly _see_ through the veils of this world into the mirrored realms like the spirit world use. It is one very much favoured by fortune tellers and witches,” Sombra lets her gaze flick to Jesse and holds his very nervous gaze, “and since our resident witch is currently _indisposed_ because of a misstep on her part, the availability of such a tincture is even rarer in these woods. You’d have an easier time convincing a river to flow backwards than to reason with someone who no longer has the clarity of mind.”

Hanzo looks deeply thoughtful with furrowed brows while Jesse is still glaring at Sombra with a mixture of annoyance and sudden nervousness. It’s making his mane fluff up, the hairs standing on end in his anxiety. It makes a rather adorable picture out of such a cursed and twisted being. Sombra moves on.

“It is also said that this tincture, when given to someone who resides in the spirit realm will be able to see the physical realm. It is a gift of sight to pierce any veil.” Sombra looks pointedly to the dragon tattoo, having pinpointed the source of the power the longer she’s been in Hanzo’s presence and that of his guardians, “You have an interesting predicament, sharing the body with those who reside on the spirit realm and you on the physical. If utilized correctly, this tincture might link your sight to theirs, allowing you to use their eyes in place of your own on the physical plane. Instead of merely using them to guide you as they have been, I’m sure.”

Hanzo nods curtly, “You said this tincture was rare…”

“It is, to those without connections,” she says smugly, “I have those connections, I can get you the recipe, the ingredients. For a price, of course.”

“As you have said. Name it.”

Hanzo has a bit of princely haughtiness to him, Sombra finds she likes it and is intrigued by it in spades. There’s a story there, behind all the reasons why he’s in Jesse’s company and now before her. She’ll learn it in time, with or without the increasingly hovering eldritch form of Jesse. Interesting. She can feel all three of his eyes boring into her even as her attention remains on Hanzo.

Hanzo opens his mouth to speak, but Jesse cuts him off, “I have something to offer ya.”

“Then do tell,” Sombra motions to Jesse, a little miffed he’s taken over, but if he wants to hand something over then she’ll let him.

To her surprise, he stands and moves towards her to lower his massive head to whisper in her ear his payment. She purses her lips as he lays out it plain. He’s laying his heart out before her to squash as she pleases.

Despite the fact he does not have one.

His protectiveness over Hanzo and his willingness to let him go live his life no matter how much Jesse wishes to be in it is sweet though. If incredibly foolish. The last time he’d stormed into her glade was to demand he help retrieve what the witch stole from him when she turned him into his monstrous form. Now he’s saying he’s willing to give up the only way to retrieve it and free himself of the curse.

Her eyes slide over to the small stream that runs through her glade. To a mossy rock where a beautiful, almost crystal-like violet bloom grows. The mere sight of it fills her with warmth and an idea forms. Today she’ll be nice. Jesse better appreciate this.

She bats him away with a curt, “No. I won’t do that. I know you have experience with witches, Jesse, but I am a far cry from one of those conniving hags.”

Jesse backs off and naturally looks surprised as all get out, opens his mouth to protest but Sombra motions to the violet bloom she’s been carefully cultivating for the last four years. It is the centrepiece of her glade and precious beyond belief, but will not remain here for much longer. How lucky for her that two errand boys walked right into her home.

“I’m feeling uncharacteristically nice today, so I’ll trade favour for favour instead.” She motions to the bloom, “This is a stained-glass orchid. Prized throughout the land for their glass-like petals, but_ incredibly fragile,_ therefore rare and difficult to obtain.” She turns to Jesse, smirking as she rests her chin on her hand, “It is a gift meant for the nymph of the crystal pools, who resides in the spring that feeds the rivers that nourish _my_ domain. You will take it to her, _in one piece_, and return here with her token for me. Then I will help you with the tincture.”

“We just have to take a flower to another nymph?” Hanzo seems confused by what he must think is an easy task.

Jesse’s already staring in horror between the fragile plant and the mountain that looms in the distance a good few miles away. He looks like he’s going to protest before Hanzo beats him to the punch.

“Then we’ll do so. You’re incredibly generous.”

“I know.” Sombra grins wide and stands.

Soon enough the fragile plant is more or less “potted” on top of a more easily transported mossy stone and placed within Jesse’s massive hands. He already looks so nervous about the entire thing, but Sombra will remain polite enough to not laugh at his expense. At least when he is not present.

Sombra watches them leave with the orchid in tow and slowly forms plans to find all she needs for the tincture. It’s all she can do, on her end. That and hope that those two smarten up and realize what she’s sure everyone and their grandmother can tell is budding between them, if they chose to look.


	9. A Promise in Turn

Perhaps Jesse didn’t think Hanzo would notice while trying to keep the orchid safe in his hands, but when the air does not cool or that same scent that permeated the air before does not hit his nose as they make their way back, Hanzo can tell Jesse’s taking him on a different path through the wood. Seemingly avoiding the deep woods all together for the trip back. Part of Hanzo scolds himself for being paranoid, but he can’t help but think his friend has been acting off since visiting the glade of the Nymph.

_No_, his dragons remind him as they help keep an eye on the delicate bloom, _even before then. The heartbeat and the Nymph, all of what has transpired has unsettled him._

Hanzo’s brow furrows in thought, and he idly rubs his thumb along the section of Jesse’s tail he’s got in his grasp as Jesse leads him. His other arm is cradling the stone on which the Nymph has rooted the flower for this journey. Hanzo doesn’t realize he himself has rooted in place as he thinks until Jesse’s tail curls around his forearm and tugs at him gently.

“There’s a big root,” Jesse warns, and Hanzo feels two of Jesse’s hands come up to help guide him over it. It’s the only time he’s spoken on the trip towards their mountain goal, to warn Hanzo of obstacles in his path. Even when Hanzo’s dragons aredoing the same and Jesse must know that they are. “We should be reachin’ a much clearer path soon. Not many roots an’ stones in your way after this.”

“You have my thanks,” Hanzo voices softly. What he doesn’t voice is his frustration or his worry. His dragons brush against him, encouraging.

_If you do not speak of these things with him, he will not offer you the answers you are puzzling over. It is much simpler than guessing, yes?_

Hanzo sighs. They are right. He tightens his grip on Jesse’s tail and pointedly tugs it gently. Jesse makes a noise of acknowledgement, and while he does not stop moving forwards Hanzo takes it to mean that he has Jesse’s attention.

“What did you offer the Nymph?” It’s the question that burns the most on Hanzo’s mind. Surely Jesse would share since the nymph did not take the offer anyway, “She didn’t take the offer, was it something bad?”

Jesse seems to still, gone rigid and stiff again that Hanzo would have bumped into his back if his dragons were not helping him keep the orchid safe. Hanzo stops in place when they warn him that the flower will be crushed between the two friends if he continues forward. All the while Jesse is silent.

“You can tell me, we are friends, are we not?” Hanzo presses.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, we are,” Jesse murmurs. The way his tail tugs at Hanzo’s wrist lets him know Jesse’s turned fully to face him, “I didn’t offer nothin’ real bad, promise. I jus’ offered what would inevitably happen when this all pans out for ya.”

“I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that,” Hanzo admits, “Why would the Nymph care about me leavin—“

It only hits Hanzo then. When the tincture is in his hands, when he can see again with his sight linked to his dragons’, he will leave the forest. Hanzo will leave the forest…

…and Jesse will remain. Because of his curse. He can’t follow Hanzo.

“You’ll be stuck here.” Hanzo turns to where he believes Jesse is towering over him, “I can’t… I can’t take you with me, can I?”

“You knew this was what was gonna happen, Hanzo,” Jesse’s voice is gentle, and Hanzo feels him lean down closer to the point where his breath tousles his hair, “You need ta reunite with your brother. These woods… they ain’t for you. You can’t tell me you’d be happy stayin’ here.”

“Maybe not _now, _but when I find Genji, I can come visi—“

“You can’t,” Jesse interrupts, voice the sternest Hanzo’s ever heard, “My curse will hurt you.”

“My sight will be linked to my dragons’,” Hanzo argues back, “It might be safe, they’re spirits.”

“Spirits you’ll be usin’ to look _into the mortal plane, _Han,” Jesse stresses, “We don’t got all the information about the tincture yet, an’ magic is finicky as all hell! We don’t know what will happen to you if you look at me. An’ I won’t let you take that risk. Not for my sake.”

Hanzo’s about to argue but one of Jesse’s hands comes up to cradle his face. The palm is large and rough against Hanzo’s cheek, he can feel where Jesse’s long spindly fingers are loosely curled to follow the shape of his head, the tips of Jesse’s claws resting in Hanzo’s hair. So gentle, as to not hurt Hanzo or accidentally prick him with them.

An emotion Hanzo can’t place a name to rises in his chest, and he lets go of Jesse’s tail to grasp at Jesse’s wrist. Jesse makes a strange, soft clicking noise, and presses the bridge of his nose to Hanzo’s forehead. Hanzo doesn’t know he’s crying until another of Jesse’s hands comes up and a claw tip trails across his cheek to brush away the tears.

“It’ll be alright, Hanzo,” Jesse promises, “I’ll be fine, an’ you’ll be okay too.”

“I don’t want you to be alone,” Hanzo replies softly, squeezing Jesse’s wrist, “You don’t deserve to be alone.”

Jesse makes that noise again, and he huffs a moment later, “I can’t exactly keep any company with this curse, Han, but I promise you I’ll be alright. My only concern is gettin’ ya back home to be with your brother, an’ anything that happens after I can deal with. I promised ya, an’ I don’t go back on my promises.”

Hanzo grips Jesse’s wrist tighter, determination in the set of his mouth, “Then I promise you, that if I cannot see you again, I will find a way to break your curse.”

“Han—“

“It is my promise _to you,” _Hanzo emphasizes, “You’ve done so much for me, I cannot fully express the depths of my gratitude. I _will_ see you free of this curse my friend.”

“Hanzo you _can’t,”_ Jesse pulls away, and Hanzo can feel the air move as he shakes his head, “You just— you _can’t_. It’s not something as easy as deliverin’ a damn flower.”

“Bold of you to claim that when you said you had no idea if it could be broken or not,” Hanzo fires back, pulling from Jesse’s hold, “What if it _is_ that easy? Have you ever tried? Has _anyone_ ever tried for you? You’re worth saving, Jesse. Let me help you!”

“It ain’t about bein’ worth savin’!” Jesse roars, “Hanzo, she’ll _kill you! _An’ that’s only if she’s feelin’ nice ‘bout it!_”_

Birds scatter at the noise, and there’s a pregnant pause where there is nothing but stillness, broken by a ragged breath from Jesse as he turns from Hanzo entirely. Hanzo, with the help of his dragons, approaches where Jesse’s slumped into a heap of gangly limbs on the forest floor. Hanzo has to settle himself carefully next to him, sitting on his knees and setting the rock the orchid is perched upon on his lap.

“So the witch is alive,” Hanzo comments softly after a moment, “I was going to ask about that too.”

“Never said she weren’t, jus’ that the curse caught her too an’ she completely lost it,” Jesse whispers, “Which is why you absolutely _cannot_, help me. Hanzo,” Jesse rests his head on Hanzo’s shoulder, nuzzles the side of his head against his, “Hanzo she did _this_ to me when she was perfectly fine. She was twisted before but now… now there is no telling what she’ll do. Killin’ you might be the most merciful thing she would do, or she’ll do something worse than what she’s done t’me and… and I can’t let you put yourself in that kinda danger.”

“Whether I confront the witch or not, my promise remains the same,” Hanzo says simply after a moment more passes, “I will scour the world if I have to, to free you. I will find a way.”

Hanzo shuffles a little, and when Jesse tries to lift his head from Hanzo’s shoulder, Hanzo’s hands come up to catch him before he pulls away entirely. His thumbs rub through the rough hairs of Jesse’s beard, and he tugs Jesse’s face until Hanzo has Jesse where he wants him, placing a kiss to the bridge of Jesse’s nose. Jesse goes still beneath him, but Hanzo feels the tickle of the long eyelashes of Jesse’s centre eye on his own forehead as it closes.

Jesse withdraws a moment later, a little too quickly, and Hanzo wonders if this is what Jesse felt that one winter night. Longing, sadness, the tiniest spark of hope and something warm stirring in his chest. Hanzo wants to draw Jesse back to him, tell him all his fears will not come to pass. Wrap his arms around him and hold him close.

Hanzo makes another promise to himself, that when this is all over, he will tell Jesse of these feelings. But for now, they must continue the journey to the mountain, and from there move ever onward towards their goals. Come whatever may after that, all that Hanzo knows is that he desires Jesse at his side in some way or another.

When Hanzo stands and cradles the precious flower to his chest, Jesse’s fingers brush over his hand. He adjusts his hold on the orchid and places his hand in Jesse’s. His hand is large and warm and encompasses Hanzo’s hand so completely. Hanzo gives Jesse’s hand a squeeze that he hopes is comforting, and the motion is returned.

Together, they continue on.


	10. The Storm

With the paths they took and the continuing caution exercised by Hanzo with the help of his dragons, they make it to the base of the mountain where the Nymph of the Crystal Pools awaits somewhere in a cavern along the mountain pass. Jesse builds them a little makeshift shelter for the night, finishing it up just as the gentle trickle of rainfall begins. Hanzo shelters under the lean-to as soon as possible, listening to the little taps of rain on the leaves overhead.

Hanzo sends his dragons back to the plane on which they exist, his body sagging with exhaustion after yet another day of maintaining the connection to them. The orchid he sets aside carefully, tucking it into a corner of the shelter and trying best he can to not squash it against the branches Jesse used to build the lean-to. When he’s content the orchid is settled, Hanzo’s turns towards Jesse as he attempts to crawl into their shelter.

The air warms when Jesse curls his massive form up to block the opening of the shelter, keeping Hanzo from the chill of the rain. Hanzo can hear him shuffling for a moment before the familiar wool Hanzo’s come to know is almost always draped around Jesse’s large form is now draped around his shoulders. The fabric is still warm from Jesse’s body heat.

“Will you not be cold?” Hanzo asks even as he tugs the fabric tighter around himself, “It would be unfair of me to use this when you’re helping keep me warm already.”

“I’ll be fine, Hanzo, I got another layer an’ a thick mane that’ll be warm enough for tonight,” Jesse replies, shuffling around a little more, likely to get comfortable, “A little rain won’t hurt me if the wind changes direction an’ it comes in.”

Hanzo nods. He considers something for a moment before he shuffles closer to Jesse. His fingers come in contact with thinner linen first, the under layer of clothing Jesse must have been referring to, before he pats farther up and his hand comes in contact with Jesse’s soft middle.

“What’re you—“ Jesse starts as Hanzo starts to move closer.

“We’ll be warmer if we stay close like we did in the winter,” Hanzo explains, patting up along Jesse’s torso until he finds one of Jesse’s arms.

He lifts Jesse’s arm in order to shuffle under it, the second one on the same side Jesse lifts himself to help Hanzo curl in close. Jesse grunts in surprise as Hanzo settles in close enough to rest his head against Jesse’s chest goes stock still as Hanzo wiggles in place to get even more comfortable. Jesse remains unnaturally still for some time even when Hanzo has stopped moving.

Eventually, Hanzo feels Jesse relax, and those two arms Hanzo moved in order to be closer are very slowly wrapped around Hanzo. Jesse must think he’s asleep with how still Hanzo stays because he eventually feels one of Jesse’s hands move up to run his claws through his hair. Gently removing the tangles. Hanzo fights down a smile.

Even far away from their little grove, Jesse still smells of pine.

He nuzzles a little more into Jesse’s chest when the soft rain becomes more a more forceful downpour. Thunder peals overhead. Jesse rumbles in response. Suddenly Jesse rolls over and brings Hanzo to rest on top of him. Hanzo makes a grunt of question.

“Lotta rain might seep in here if it continues like this,” Jesse replies, shimmying to get more comfortable again. There’s a rustling that sounds like leaves being tugged and the snap of branches. If Hanzo had to guess, the noise is Jesse using his long tail to bring in more leafy branches to help keep himself off what may soon be muddy, wet ground. “Figured you’d rather be inconvenienced than wet.”

“It is not an inconvenience,” Hanzo murmurs before he wiggles to get comfortable again.

He rests his head on Jesse’s chest, tries to listen to the rain to lull himself to sleep. But the wind starts to howl through the trees, and the thunder is loud and rumbling. Hanzo loves storms, but this is not his room back at his family’s castle. It is not the cozy, warm confines of the pine grove. This is a shoddy shelter thrown together under a tree.

Hanzo decides not to think about it and tries to find another sound to focus on. An idea forms and he shuffles a little more, changing the position of his head so he can lay his head over Jesse’s heart. Ear pressed to Jesse’s chest, Hanzo listens.

And hears nothing.

His brow furrows, and Hanzo knows that he can’t be mistaken. Jesse is most certainly warm and alive under Hanzo, he must have a heart. And a heartbeat. His confusion is not enough for him to fail to notice that Jesse has gone unnaturally still again. Hanzo can’t even feel Jesse’s chest rise and fall.

Hanzo gets the uncanny feeling that he’s being stared at, and lifts his head to turn to Jesse, even though it will do little good. Hanzo frowns, finds himself wanting to comfort Jesse even though he’s not too certain what to say or what even is wrong. There’s a question burning on his tongue too. A more frequent occurrence as of late, it seems.

Jesse’s been forefront before when pressed, though, so Hanzo will press.

Hanzo might just have to be gentle about it, he thinks. Hanzo carefully adjusts himself and slides a hand up to Jesse’s shoulder, and from there to tangle into Jesse’s mane. Running his fingers through the tangles he can reach as best he can to set them right. Slowly, he feels Jesse relax again.

Perhaps it’s unfair to strike when Jesse least expects it.

“Why don’t you have a heartbeat?”

Again, Jesse tenses under him. A ragged exhale leaves him too, the huff of it tousling Hanzo’s hair away from his face. He moves suddenly, all four of his arms coming up to support Hanzo as Jesse sits up under their makeshift shelter. The ceiling of their shelter is much too low for Jesse, and he has to sit curled over Hanzo. Hanzo can feel him trembling.

Hanzo wraps his arms around Jesse tightly, buries his face in his shoulder. Comforting nonsense spills from Hanzo’s mouth, regretting saying anything to his friend. Jesse lets him for a while before he gently moves Hanzo away. Hanzo’s hand is gently taken in one of Jesse’s own, and Hanzo hears more shifting of fabric, of ties being loosened. Jesse’s hand then presses Hanzo’s to his chest, shifting under his now open fabrics to come to rest over where his heart should lay.

Under Hanzo’s palm, there are raised lines. Scars. Not ragged ones. Precise.

Surgical.

Hanzo feels fury rise in his chest as he pieces things together, his fingers curling into a fist over where Jesse’s heart would be. Thunder rolls overhead, and then another peal right after. The rainstorm seems to worsen. The dragons so intrinsically tied to Hanzo’s soul snarl and call for retribution.

“She did this to you,” Hanzo’s voice is low, dangerous. His hands find and cradle Jesse’s jaw, “The Witch.”

Jesse’s head dips in a nod before he begins, his voice is soft, barely audible under the thunder, “B’fore she cursed me, I had gone t’see her for some aid on a bounty o’ mine. I didn’t think nothin’ of it when she offered me some tea while she got supplies ready. Didn’t think she’d pull any shit as she did. She was sweet on me, though I could care less ‘bout her. Shouldn’t have taken the tea. I was just… knocked right out, just like that.”

Hanzo hears Jesse draw another breath, feels it shudder through his friend while he’s cradled so close. Hanzo gently tugs Jesse’s face to his, to press foreheads. Waits for him to calm enough to continue.

“Woke up with this,” Jesse takes one of Hanzo’s hands and presses it to the scars again, “Freshly sewn shut. I absolutely lost it, asked her what the hell she did to me. She just grinned at me and waved this little glowy thing around and proclaimed that I was hers now because she _stole my heart._” Jesse laughs that low clicking laugh, only this time it is bitter and humourless, “I tried to take it from her, but she said even if I did, nothin’ I could do would change what she’d done. I’d be hers forever. She thinks she has some bullshit claim on my heart.”

Jesse lowers his massive head to press it into Hanzo, mindful of his horns. Voice muffled into the warmth of Hanzo’s chest, he continues, “I told her that her havin’ my damn heart didn’t mean shit ta me. I would _never_ be hers. I would fight her and deny her claim to me with every damn breath I drew until I couldn’t anymore. And then she, well,” Jesse pauses to move from Hanzo, stirring the air with his hands as he motions to himself, “She did this. You know the rest.”

Hanzo’s silent as he thinks, piecing some theories together in his head. All the while he pulls Jesse’s head lower, coaxing his large friend to lay down with his head in Hanzo’s lap. When Jesse is situated, Hanzo begins to comb his fingers through Jesse’s mane. Soothing, slow motions. Eventually, Jesse stops trembling from having to recall his ordeal.

“I’m sorry this has happened to you,” Hanzo voices eventually.

Jesse, nearly lulled to sleep, hums and cuddles closer to Hanzo in response. His four arms are curled tight around Hanzo. Such a hold practically traps Hanzo into sitting upright, but he does not mind. He’s fallen asleep sitting up before if his very early attempts at meditation in his childhood were anything to go by. Petting through Jesse’s mane helps him achieve just that.

Jesse seems exhausted, but not physically when the morning comes. After breakfast, Hanzo retrieves the orchid, summoning his dragons once more to his side to continue forward on the final stretch of the journey. As he and Jesse walk, the wind whips by Hanzo much more easily, the trees that normally would break its path are getting scarcer as they slowly start to ascend the mountain. Hanzo knows their mountain hike is truly beginning when the ground starts to slant upwards.

“We’ll be into the mountain proper real soon,” Jesse voices right next to Hanzo, “Now, you especially are gonna have to be real careful about loose rock, carryin’ that flowe—“

Jesse’s stopped mid-sentence, a rumble underneath the ground startling them both. When the ground breaks beneath Hanzo’s feet, he jumps to the side. There’s a creaking, like trees at the mercy of howling winds, and the sounds of Jesse desperately struggling against something. Hanzo has to pause to set down the orchid on what he assumes is a safe rock outcropping and orders one of his dragons to watch it before he leaps to Jesse’s side.

He falls bodily into the jumble of limbs and tangles that is Jesse, hands flailing wildly to pull away whatever is attacking his friend. Hanzo’s hands find Jesse’s fabric, his mane, and then strangely his hands come into contact with tree bark as he grasps at a branch. Jesse makes a strangled noise and Hanzo snaps his head in that direction, his hands following. Finding a thick branch curling tight around Jesse’s neck. Hanzo swears colourfully before he grips at the branch and pulls with all his might.

The branch loosens just enough that Jesse can get his own hand underneath, his knuckles brushing Hanzo’s. There’s a hunting knife in his boot, Hanzo might have to make do with using it to hack away at the branches without a proper hatchet. He’s in the middle of reaching for it when suddenly Jesse is lifted off the ground in the branch tangle, taking the still clinging Hanzo with him. One of Jesse’s hands breaks free to grasp at Hanzo and Jesse shoves him away. Hanzo grunts as he hits the rocky dirt.

Hanzo is getting back to his feet when he hears the branches begin to groan and twist in an unnatural way. Jesse then cries out in alarm as the branches trapping him bend back and then snap forward with a sound, not unlike a whip crack. Back down the path, in the direction where they came out of the woods from, there’s the unmistakable noise of tree branches breaking as a heavy body falls through their canopies. Hanzo scrambles back down the path, tripping over roots and rocks as he makes his way back to Jesse’s side.

He knows he’s close when he hears a groan. Hanzo drops to his knees and inches closer on them, using his hands to search for Jesse. He finds his friend sprawled out on the forest floor amid a sea of broken branches and twigs.

“Jesse?!”

“M’okay.” Jesse grunts, “Jus’ gimme a minute.”

Hanzo stops his frantic checking for injuries to back off enough to let Jesse sit up. Jesse shakes himself out and groans. There’s an audible crack as Jesse cracks his neck. Hanzo’s hands hover uselessly, waiting on permission to help or instruction, he cannot say.

_“What_ _was that?” _Hanzo blurts out after a moment of Jesse saying nothing, “Was it some sort of creature? Are we under attack?”

Hanzo’s head whips back towards where he assumes he left the orchid, feeling dread crawl up his spine. His connection with his dragons at least provide him with peace of mind that the orchid is still in good condition.

Jesse sighs loudly, “So. Remember when I told ya ‘bout my curse?”

“Yes.”

“You remember those whole two lines that went all _In these woods you will be holed, remaining until the Earth grows old?_ Those ones?” Jesse shuffles, grunts as he stretches and Hanzo hears more bones crack, “That whole business just now was _that_ nice lil’ addition.”

It doesn’t take long for Hanzo to realize why Jesse sounds so defeated. He voices it if only to confirm his suspicions, “You can’t take me up the mountain, can you?”

Once more, Jesse sighs, “No. I can’t. The mountain borders the very edge of the woods… it’s not technically part of ‘em. I’m trapped in the woods and the woods will make sure I damn will stay within ‘em. I’m real sorry, Hanzo. I can’t help you get up there.”

Hanzo’s silent for a moment. Thinking. Before long he stands and dusts himself off. Jesse makes a questioning noise when Hanzo calls back one of his dragons to him and asks it to lead him to its twin and the orchid.

“Wait, where are you going?” Jesse asks.

Hanzo turns back towards his voice, giving Jesse what he hopes is a reassuring smile, “I’m continuing onwards. It is the only way I_ can _go. We’ve come too far to turn back.”

“Hanzo.” Twigs snap under Jesse’s feet as he comes to stand before Hanzo, his large hands finding and grasping Hanzo’s in his, “I—“ Jesse pauses and seems to think better of something, “Just… Just come back safe. I ain’t been up the mountain in decades, I don’t know what’s up there anymore. If it gets to be too much, come back. We’ll figure out somethin’ else.”

Hanzo nods and gives Jesse’s hands a squeeze before he turns to head back towards his dragon guarding the orchid. Once the flower is safely back in his hands, Hanzo takes a deep breath and exhales. He can do this. He must do this.

With a careful but determined stride and the aid of his draconic guardians, Hanzo begins his ascension into the rocky pass.


	11. Mountain's Pass and River's Flow

They guide their master best they can up the mountain pass. Hanzo’s weary, they know, from having them summoned so long. Their power is a draining one to wield, and their master is strong for maintaining the summon, but even he has his limits. They lead Hanzo to a shelter of rock to rest when the sun is high in the sky and his body is starting to swelter under the noonday sun.

The precious flower is set aside carefully, and they help him guide it to a safe spot while he rests. Hanzo's more paranoid, and it shows, without their giant friend to help guard him and the flower. They watch as he settles himself into sitting on his knees, the red fabric that belonged to their monstrous friend is still around his shoulders, dwarfing him. Jesse hadn’t asked for it back this morning, not that the dragons thought that he would.

Their large ally is strange, but he does nothing but care for Hanzo. And his care for their master runs deep, they’ve witnessed as such. Not that they would tell their master, it is not their place to meddle in the affairs of mortals. At least when it comes to such things as romance. They are guardians, not matchmakers.

If the two become a pair on their own then well, that’s just fate. It certainly seems they are slowly drifting closer into each other’s path, their strings of fate twining tighter each day that passes. If they pined any harder for each other, the entire forest would turn into one massive tree, never mind the grove where they reside with Jesse.

The dragons just know that their master better act soon, as time is running short the closer he gets to completing the quest for the nymph and acquiring the tincture. Depending on what happens with it, he may not be able to see Jesse again after their sight is bound to his. They can look upon Jesse as they are spirits and not tethered to the mortal plane. Tethering spirits, even if it is just their eyes, is where it is going to get troublesome.

They would be possibly tethered to a mortal to view into the mortal plane, after all, and curses are very finicky with their wordings.

Though perhaps if it is not Hanzo who makes the move, it will be Jesse. Often his gaze is drawn to Hanzo when Hanzo’s attention is drawn to his daily tasks. Their ally does a lot of longingly gazing. Even at night, especially at night. That third eye Jesse sports never closes, and at the beginning, it was always watching their surroundings, but lately, it’s solely trained on Hanzo. Diligently watching for when Hanzo starts to have his night terrors again.

When Hanzo does show signs of distress, Jesse wakes and nuzzles him, often making a deep rumbling noise until Hanzo’s soothed back into a better rest. Sometimes multiple times a night. It is why Hanzo’s had much better rest as of late. Jesse cares deeply for Hanzo, going as far as to offer himself to the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade for the tincture Hanzo needs. He’s a noble being, this Jesse. The dragons have enjoyed his company as well, and they would be lying if they said that they didn’t hope things work out.

That’s enough ruminating on things for now, though, the dragons decide. Hanzo’s wearing thin already, and a break from maintaining their physical presence may be needed. They dispel their physical forms of their own volition, and already they can feel Hanzo breathe easier. They linger close by even in the spirit realm, sitting close to their master’s reflected form. They cannot leave him completely alone on the mountainside after all, and while they are now separated by the veil between realms they will be ready to defend him.

They know he can still sense them close, so they rub against Hanzo to soothe him, and he lets himself sag a little bit at feeling both spirits comfort him. He’s been through much, and he is going through much more. They will be here at his side, as they’ve always been.

But they can tell he’s longing for the comforting presence of another. Having to leave their ally and friend behind was nothing Hanzo wanted to do, and it shows. It must be sinking in how much he still relies on Jesse being close by even with all the independence he’s regained.

“I wish we asked the Nymph how far into the mountains the Nymph of the Crystal Pools resided,” Hanzo laments aloud, knowing they will hear him, “I’m not sure if I can last if there is more than one day’s journey ahead.”

_You will pull through. We will be here to guide you, to protect you, _they reassure as they slowly start circling around to look upon their master’s face, _You are not alone, and it will get easier to come back down when the flower is not in your possession._

“I know, but it is hard not to worry,” Hanzo huffs softly before he lifts his head at a noise in the distance. After a moment passes and nothing else stirs on the pass he continues, “I feel like I’m jumping out of my skin at every noise.” He pauses again, “I miss Jesse.”

_We’re certain that he misses you too. We kept an eye on him as we ascended into the mountain pass. He watched you from the tree line until he could not see you anymore. We think he might have made another attempt to leave the woods to follow if the twigs stuck in his mane were any indication._

Hanzo laughs at that, “He would. He is stubborn. It is at times admirable until it is to his own detriment.”

Their master seems to sigh a little, a soft longing sound. Feeling once again Jesse’s absence, no doubt. They make their own comforting rumbles to try to soothe him, which at least lessens the furrow between his brows. He lifts his head towards where he feels their presence lingering, giving them both a smile in thanks.

“Thank you, for remaining at my side.”

_Of course. There is no other place for us except at your side, young master._

“I just hope I don’t lead us all astray,” Hanzo muses, “I do not know where I am going, following these paths. The Nymph of the Shadowed Glade did not give us much to go on for directio— Wait.”

Hanzo turns his head for a second, realization on his features. He seems to be focusing on something in the distance. Both of the dragons perk their own ears to try to focus on what their master hears. There is the wind whistling through the stone pass and the rustling of the sea of leaves below.

But passed that, there is the sound of flowing water. Hanzo has his head pointedly turned in that direction, brows scrunched in concentration. He lifts his head again and nods towards the sound, voicing aloud his thoughts to the two dragons.

“The Nymph of the Shadowed Glade said that the spring where the Nymph of the Crystal Pools resides feeds the rivers and streams that nourish the forest, right?”

_Correct._

Hanzo smiles wide, a determined look crossing his features before he turns towards where he can sense both of the spirits, “So if we find the river, we can follow it up the mountain, and we can find the spring.”

_A sound observation, _the dragons agree. They lift up to drape themselves over Hanzo’s shoulders. He scrunches a little at the chilly feeling of their spirits so close while they remain beyond the veil,_That path will be dangerous, but it will shorten the travel. You will have to avoid slipping on the rocks._

Hanzo nods before he speaks, “I will rest for a little longer, and then we will continue on. I trust you to help lead my steps as we proceed.”

_Of course, it is why we are here._

Hanzo rises to his feet soon after, and with their help, he picks the flower up once more. One of the dragons leaves their sides as Hanzo summons them back to the physical plane, darting ahead to scout the distance to the river. It is not far, but the worrying part is the climb that comes with following it. The mountain is steep where they must lead their master, and they tell him so when they return to his and their twin’s side.

Hanzo will not be deterred from his path, though, and orders them to lead him on. They cannot go against his orders, only advise other courses of action, so they lead Hanzo onwards as instructed. The obstacles they outline and point out and lead him through just make him more determined.

Over the next hours, they lead Hanzo over slick river rocks and up steep rock faces. They watch over Hanzo and the priceless orchid both, telling him where to place it so he may reach for it safely once he is in a place to pick the flower up again and continue. The path is slow and tedious, but before long they come to the place where the river flows from.

Hanzo is exhausted, damp with sweat and water from a few close calls, clutching the orchid close with white-knuckled hands. The flower is still pristine. The dragons urge him on ahead, ushering him towards the maw of a massive cave where the river spills from. They wish their master could see it, it looks like a massive mouth of jagged crystal teeth, vines and foliage blooming vibrant shades of green all around the opening as the clear water rushes through.

To the side of the flowing river, they lead Hanzo, helping him find the path that is soft with moss that clings to the rock to head inside. Hopefully, the Nymph of the Crystal Pools does not mind having visitors at this hour.


	12. The Crystal Pools

She'd been told to expect a visitor by the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade. What she hadn’t expected was him to enter her home in the middle of the night looking half-drowned with two spectral spirit dragons floating at his side. Symmetra is the name only some have the privilege to call her, as her title is for those who do not and her true name is for her wife alone.

Her latest gift from her wife is clutched tight in this strange new human’s grasp. Pristine the orchid is while its deliveryman is not. Well, if it is here delivered then she’ll receive it, despite the horrendously late hour. She rises from where she’s been lounging at the side of the spring, the light of the moon cascading in from the skylight above which is caught both by the pool and the crystals that she grows and sent scattering about her home.

“Welcome, traveller, to the crystal pools,” she greets, floating towards the human before her.

He turns his face up to her at the sound of her voice rather than her approach, the reason why becoming apparent as his damp hair falls to the side. His eyes are heavily damaged and scarred, and Symmetra begins to question to what ends her beloved had sent a blind man on such a dangerous trek. Yet, he made it, he is before her, and his guardians are proof enough that this is no ordinary man.

He seems to remember himself then, bowing before her while mindful of the orchid he still possesses, “Shimada Hanzo, at your service. I come with a… flower.”

“Yes, and you’ll be pleased to know that it is in wonderful condition.” Symmetra shifts forward even closer, her feet finally touching the soft moss of the cave floor as she stands before him.

He startles ever so slightly as she lifts her mismatched hands to gently grasp the rock on which the orchid sits. The temperature difference between the cold hollow quarts of her prosthetic and the warmth of her other hand no doubt confusing him where they brush his own fingers. She ignores him in favour of admiring her latest gift from her beloved. Stained-glass Orchids are so very rare and hard to come by, and her dearest Sombra has outdone herself in growing it.

Symmetra turns from Hanzo entirely to float back over to her flower garden, full of purple blooms, each rare and unique and a challenge to grow. The orchid is easy enough for a nymph of her skill to transplant into her pretty garden, and soon it is settled to sit pride of place in the centre of the flowerbed. Among all the rare and precious blooms Sombra has sent her.

She nearly forgets that Hanzo is still present, only remembering him when he flops to his knees in a pool red wool that is many sizes too large for his form. Symmetra then recalls that while she’s not seen the garment personally before, it rings a bell vaguely in her mind. Remembering her wife complaining during a message sent on a chill breeze _ages _past about a man cursed into a monstrous form in such red garb who came under her protection. Ah. Things are starting to make a little more sense.

“You’ve must have come a long way, rest. You will find shelter here,” she says softly. When the human makes to open his mouth she lifts a hand to silence him before she remembers that he cannot see her, “There are questions on your tongue, and I ask that you keep them until the morning. It is late.”

Hanzo seems to deflate a little at that but does not argue. She leaves him to settle down for the night, those twin serpents of his dissipating like fine mist at the base of a waterfall. She watches as he awkwardly settles in place right where he collapsed to his knees, pulling that red wool tighter around himself as he tries to find a way to lay that is most comfortable. There’s something like lovesickness on his face that she understands all too well, being trapped apart from her love.

In the morning she feeds him breakfast and waits for him to speak. She pretends to not notice how he hides some of the fruit away, perhaps to give to the one who he holds so dear to have slept so restlessly last night without their presence. It is not long before he starts the first of his many questions.

“Forgive me, my lady, if I am inquiring where such curiosity is not welcome,” He starts, “but I have been rather curious about the nature of the orchid. It must have some incredible magical properties to be so rare and treasured.”

“I do not mind questions,” Symmetra answers, a small smile playing at her lips. It has been some time since she has had such polite company if any at all. She cannot keep the fondness out of her voice as she continues, “The orchid, while rare and beautiful, has no properties like what you think. Its draw is that it is delicate and hard to grow, and only the most skilled can ever nurture it to fully bloom. To grow one is to show a great deal of devotion to the one to whom you gift it.”

Her companion simply makes a soft noise, though something about his expression pinches. He does not comment, only begins to ask more questions. For her to describe her home to him if she would, and that he regrets that he cannot see it. She does so for him, finds enjoyment in his company when he asks more about how she grows her crystal gardens.

There are more serious questions he asks of, like what he must take back for the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade, as she expects a token in turn. Symmetra smiles and lifts from where she’s sat at his side as they spoke, crossing over to her crystal gardens. She gathers a chunk of striking stone that grows in geometric angles, flashing with rainbows much like the ones so often seen in the mists around the waterfalls of the rivers of her domain captured in stone.

It is not the same as watching the light catch the mist that way with her wife but Symmetra hopes that it will do until they can be together in person once more. She places the stone in the human’s hands after instructing him to hold them out. He was probably expecting another rare bloom, not a chunk of bismuth. He traces his fingers over the interesting angular surface but he does not comment.

“I must ask you, Nymph of the Crystal Pools, some more things of a more serious nature, if you will allow me,” Hanzo says instead.

“Of course, you may ask what you wish of me, so ask.”

“What do you know of the curse on Jesse McCree?”

Hanzo’s face is as serious and imposing as the mountain Symmetra calls her home. No doubt of noble birth, as she had started to suspect. Why he is here among the crystal gardens of her domain she’s starting to piece together too, especially now that he’s asked about the one under her wife’s protection.

She contemplates where to start until she finds the words, unable to keep the bite from her tone in her anger at the situation, “I know that the witch that cursed him is why my wife sends me trinkets with travellers in the woods and messages on the winds instead of being able to see me herself.”

Hanzo seems at a loss for words so she simply continues, “Understand I hold no ill will towards the man himself, but I despise the one who cursed him in the first place. She festers in the deep dark of the deep woods like maggots in a wound, making the woods around her ill with her very existence. My Sombra fights a war with this witch daily, and this sorceress lies in wait for the moment her guard is down and she can move in further on what is rightfully my beloved’s.”

“So the Shadowed Nymph and the Witch are in the middle of a turf war,” Hanzo murmurs thoughtfully, when Symmetra has to pause to gather herself, “Why is that? I was under the impression the only thing the witch wanted was Jesse.”

“Has Jesse spoken to you of the Witch’s curse over him?”

“He has, yes.”

“What you may not know of this curse or curses in general, is that many of them are shaped by the intent behind them as much as the words used to place them,” Symmetra starts, “She cursed him to remain in the woods. She wants to cage him so he cannot leave her side, to force him there. When the curse she placed on him warped her too it made her more ruthless in her attempts to get what she wants.”

Symmetra bores her gaze into the human before her that even if he cannot see he still squirms from the intensity he can feel rolling off of her in waves. Vicious like the unforgiving river rapids in her anger at the one who tainted her beloved’s once beautiful and peaceful home. “She wants to cage him in the woods so badly she desires to not only control the woods, but she has rooted herself so deep within them that she has _become_ part of the woods.”

Hanzo is silent for a long moment before he releases the breath he was holding. Symmetra has to gather herself before she apologizes, but he stops her as the first words leave her mouth.

“If I were being kept from the one I loved so dearly I would be furious too,” He says softly, “I do not fault you for your anger or letting yourself express it.”

“Thank you,” she says simply, getting the sense that there is anger of a different sort brewing within her guest like a storm, but she does not comment. Instead, she merely continues, “I apologize for keeping you so long, you must desire to continue on your way. I knew only to expect you and give you something to take back to my beloved, not what my beloved has promised you in turn.”

“That is alright, you’ve provided more insight to things I have been wondering,” Hanzo replies, “I hope I can ask a few more questions before I take my leave to gain more insight.”

“If I can answer your questions and provide more, then I will.”

Hanzo smiles, “Firstly, this tincture your wife says will meld my sight to that of my guardians, may I ask of how it works in that regard?”

“Ah, the tincture that soothsayers and the sorcerers use to pull back the veil,” Symmetra hums as she thinks, “Well from what I remember…”

She begins to explain the intricacies of the ways the soothsayers use it. Of applying it to your eyes on the nights of the full moon to see into the realm of spirits, and then applying the rest at the dawn to end the effect. If the intent is to bind the spirit’s sight to Hanzo’s they may need to do additional things. Or they may not if they choose to just leave it in the hands— er, claws of Hanzo’s spirit guardians. All the while Hanzo listens intently, his expression incredibly calculative as he listens to everything Symmetra says. It makes her wonder what he is planning.

“I thank you for taking the time to explain it to me,” Hanzo says before she can ask, “and I admit I may have only one more question before I will be on my way.”

“Oh?”

Hanzo’s face is set in a look of deep determination that Symmetra can’t help but admire. Perhaps it is the underlying look that Symmetra recognizes. The need to keep someone safe. To keep the one you love safe.

“Please, tell me,” Hanzo implores, “Tell me how to break Jesse’s curse.”


	13. Reunion

Tree branches snap and groan under Jesse’s weight as once again he is tossed back into the woods. He’s pretty sure he’s made a divot in the forest floor from how many times he’s gotten his ass handed to him. But Hanzo’s been gone for much longer than Jesse’s been comfortable with. Perhaps he’s just paranoid, and it has not been as long as he thinks.

But part of him worries, and that part of him is the one with too much time to kill.

Jesse groans and slowly rolls over from where he’s landed on his back. He lifts himself just enough, feet and his lower set of hands digging into the earth, and shakes himself to try to toss out the leaves and twigs out of his mane until a stubborn few remain. He wishes Hanzo were here to untangle them and brush out his mane again, but he is not, so Jesse will have to deal with it himself.

He stands to his full height and trudges along back to the edge of the woods where he flops back down right at the tree line. It is about as far as the woods will tolerate him leaving. The gouges are still present in the earth from where he tried to claw away from the branches that had burst from the ground to drag him back.

Jesse curls his tail around himself and idly scratches at his neck. He wishes Hanzo would at least send one of his dragons back Jesse’s way to tell him he’s okay. He hopes Hanzo’s keeping warm too, hopes that letting him keep his Serape will help in that regard. It just goes to show that no matter what Jesse does, his mind just goes right back to Hanzo.

_Stupid Witch, stupid curse, stupid dumb fuckin’ trees,_ Jesse thinks bitterly as he scratches his claws through the dirt to pass the time as he sits and waits, _Stupid stubborn beautiful Hanzo, goin’ up there by his lonesome. He better come back down._

Jesse doesn’t know what he’ll do if Hanzo doesn’t.

Jesse curls up to sleep right where he sits when night falls, never mind a shelter. He wants to be easily spotted by the dragons when Hanzo makes his way back down the mountain, so he’ll stay put right where he is. The weather doesn’t bother him anyway, and it’s been rather mild since that storm passed.

Jesse wakes to something loud snuffling in his ear come morning. He bats whatever it is away until he sits up and gets a sloppy bear lick to his face. Sombra’s beloved pet grizzly, Arturito, backs off and settles himself down in front of Jesse with a gruff growl.

“Hey, Artie,” Jesse greets, getting the most disgruntled of bear noises in response to the nickname, “Somethin’ must be goin’ on if she sent you after us. What’s up?”

Arturito sniffs the air and wiggles his ears, looking around for someone who is very much not present. The bear even circles Jesse and snuffles at the rest of the fabrics Jesse’s draped in. Jesse bats the bear away again and the grizzly settles back on his haunches with a huff.

“He ain’t under there! He’s not even here! He’s already up the gods damned mountain!” Jesse grumbles, “I take it good ol’ Som sent ya because she forgot where the woods ended huh?"

Arturito makes a low_ raugh _noise of confirmation, looking very annoyed at having his time wasted when he no doubt wants to be at home getting spoiled rotten and flowers woven into his fur. Jesse sighs and settles back down and looks back up the path Hanzo took up the mountain, all three eyes scanning the pass for any sign of Hanzo or his dragons.

Arturito must sense his worry because the bear shuffles up and flops bodily into Jesse just like a giant dog would. Jesse huffs and lifts his hands to give the bear a few pats and good-naturedly shoves him off. Arturito settles to lay down at Jesse’s side, resting his big head on equally massive paws.

“Does you bein’ all sweet to cheer me up mean ya forgive me for throwin’ you in the river last year?” Jesse asks the bear after what feels like an hour passes.

It just earns him an even shorter, snappier noise of disgruntlement from his bear companion. Jesse huffs out a laugh but points at the bear accusingly.

“You stole my salmon, you deserved a toss or two. Jus’ be glad I tossed ya into the river an’ didn’t try to toss you back home!”

Arturito huffs again and head butts Jesse’s shoulder in response. It at least helpsJesse pass the time, to play wrestle with Sombra’s pet bear. Enough time that when Jesse’s had enough of the roughhousing and eventually scrounges himself up some lunch in the form of a small rabbit cooking over a small fire, there’s actually the form of a person making their way back down the mountain pass.

Jesse scrambles up so quickly he nearly kicks dirt into the fire he _just _built. His movement to stop that from happening narrowly sends the rabbit he so carefully balanced over the fire into it and nearly ruins his lunch. He can’t stop the lighter linens he’s draped in from shifting _too_ close to the fire though.

Arturito grumbles and puts his massive paws over his eyes as Jesse hastily pats the fire out.

“_Not a fuckin’ word outta you!_” Jesse hisses at the grizzly bear once the fire is out, ears flicked back and face beet red to rival the scarlet hues of his Serape.

By the time he’s calmed enough from his ordeal with the fire, the figure has made their way closer. The red fabric draped around their form is indeed Jesse’s Serape, so it can only be Hanzo making his way carefully down the path. Jesse stands and inches closer to the threshold of what the woods will allow, eager to see if Hanzo is well. Jesse’s far too preoccupied with his excitement at seeing Hanzo return that he’s deaf to the sound of a bear happily munching on what was supposed to be his lunch.

When Hanzo gets closer, he looks tired and damp, so much so that Jesse has half a mind to scoop him into his arms and offer to carry him all the way back to Sombra’s glade. His hands, all four of them, lift and twitch uselessly at his side as he tries to make up his mind, second-guessing if Hanzo would welcome his touch.

Hanzo makes his mind up for him, bullying his way into Jesse’s embrace and winding his arms tight around Jesse. His arms can barely wrap all the way around Jesse’s middle, and Jesse feels Hanzo’s hands ball into fists to clutch at the linens Jesse wears. Jesse rumbles softly and gently wraps all four of his arms around Hanzo, the lower two supporting under Hanzo’s rear to lift him more solidly into the hold.

Hanzo more than welcomes the embrace, and Jesse tries not to think too hard about the way Hanzo nuzzles against his neck or how his much smaller frame fits against him like this. Jesse does take a few liberties of his own, lowering his head to nuzzle the side of Hanzo’s temple, all three of his eyes closing in bliss to be allowed to hold Hanzo like this. He buries the voice that urges him to move away just enough from Hanzo to make room to place his lips over Hanzo’s and greet him in the way he truly desires to.

Doing so would damn Hanzo more than merely being in Jesse’s presence does already. If the Witch knew of him, and Jesse is certain the longer Hanzo stays in these damn woods the more likely she is to discover him, she’d stop at nothing to kill Hanzo if not worse. And they’d had a close call already that day on the path when Hanzo heard Jesse’s heart beating off in the distance, buried within the deep dark wood as it is.

At least that’s what Jesse tells himself to ease his own worries. He doesn’t want to think that the Witch had ventured too close to see Hanzo in Jesse’s presence, let alone in Jesse’s arms.

Yes, the faster that Hanzo is out of these woods, the better. He can go off and live a long happy life reunited with his brother and forget about silly notions like breaking dangerous curses. Free and safe, far _far _away from Jesse and the Witch who claims to hold a claim over his heart.

Distantly, he can feel the echo of his heart clench in pain at the thought of Hanzo finding happiness in someone else’s arms.

_It’s for the best,_ Jesse tells himself even as he sets Hanzo down finally and drinks in the sight of him greedily, of his much smaller form cozied up in _his_ Serape. _It’s for the best._

Hanzo’s face is much more sombre than it had been on the journey up, Jesse finally notices when he is free of his swarming thoughts. He can’t help but brush some of Hanzo’s damp hair from where it clings to his cheeks. Even though Jesse’s set him down for some time now, Hanzo’s not moved an inch from Jesse’s side.

“It went that bad, huh?” Jesse says conversationally, hoping Hanzo will confide in him what occurred up on the mountainside.

“What? Oh, no. No, it went rather well actually,” Hanzo seems to gather himself then, and that sombre look disappears. He pulls out from the depths of the Serape a chunk of bright geometric stone, shining with colours like a rainbow captured in physical form. “This is to go back to The Nymph of the Shadowed Glade as the token from The Nymph of the Crystal Pools.”

“Huh.” Jesse plucks the stone from Hanzo’s hands, holding it carefully as he can with his much more impressive strength, lest he breaks the thing. “Can’t imagine what Sombra will need this thing for. Did the other one tell you what the Orchid was needed for?”

“She did,” Hanzo steps aside and his dragons float with him, moving back the way they both came to begin the journey back, “it was for nothing, and it does nothing.”

Jesse steps to Hanzo’s side to walk there, ducking under the lower hanging branches, “Nothin’?”

“Well, not _nothing. _That is perhaps too harsh of me. Nothing in the sense that it is not for a potion or brew or any sort of thing like that.” Hanzo turns to Jesse’s voice and offers him a wry smile, “It was nothing more than a token of affection. Simply a message of love.”

“So,” Jesse murmurs, “We walked all this damn way to deliver a flower.”

“We did because The Nymph of the Shadowed Glade is protecting you from the Witch, isn’t she? And she cannot leave her woods or else the Witch will lay claim to them as she has done you, will she not? Honestly, flower delivery is not such a bad price to pay when you owe such hefty debts.”

Jesse has nothing to say to that, and he can feel a judgmental glare from Arturito as the bear lumbers alongside them both. Hanzo’s kept his face steadily forwards, but Jesse can catch out of the corner of his many eyes the displeased downward pull of his lips. He sighs heavily.

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell ya about all o’ that. Didn’t think it mattered.”

“It matters,” Hanzo snaps, “I need to know these things if I am to help you.”

This again. Yet Jesse can’t help but be touched at Hanzo’s ferocity on his behalf. Jesse slowly shakes his head in exasperated fondness, unable to stop himself.

“Hanzo, I’m touched, I really am but—“

“You saved me,” Hanzo interrupts, “You are not the monster she made you, and I will damn well fight for you where no one else will. Because—“ Hanzo clenches his jaw and Jesse can hear his teeth grind, “Because you’ve fought for me. Aided me. We are on this errand because of how strong your desire to help me find ways to navigate these paths is. I cannot let such a debt go unpaid Jesse. My pride will not stand for it.”

He steps purposely into Jesse’s path, guided by the dragons who float at his sides. Hanzo’s hand only misses one of Jesse’s by a fraction when he reaches for it, fumbles to find it before gathering the hand in both of his smaller, calloused hands. He turns his face up to Jesse’s, that dark hair falling away to reveal the ruined, scarred eyes and the determined set of his mouth.

“Do do not tell me nothing matters. Not when it comes to you.”   
  
  


Hanzo gives Jesse’s hand a comforting squeeze before he lets it drop, leaving Jesse dumbfounded into silence and more deeply, uselessly in love than he ever thought he could possibly be. All he can do is watch Hanzo move up the path ahead, led by his dragons. Arturito has to shoulder check Jesse’s leg to get him to stop staring longingly after Hanzo’s retreating back, huffing at Jesse as he too moves passed him.

Many things bubble up Jesse’s throat, threatening to spill from his tongue, but Hanzo moves far ahead with purpose and Jesse has to run to catch up by the time he becomes unstuck. The words on his lips lost along the path as he ran, resolve lost to confess any of them.

So instead he comes to match stride at Hanzo’s side. Tries to find the hope in his lost heart that perhaps one day his stolen heart can belong to Hanzo and Hanzo alone. Like Jesse so desperately desires for his heart to be.

Jesse drowns out the voice in his head that tells him his heart already does, and it is only a matter of time until the Witch figures that out too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I commissioned the very talented [Sev](https://twitter.com/severenitm) to paint the wonderful art of [This Moment](https://twitter.com/severenitm/status/1254843306820894720?s=21) from this chapter! It turned out Amazing!!!


	14. Tactician

The journey back to the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade takes far shorter of a time now that neither of them has to watch over a delicate bloom as they move through the woods. Hanzo’s certain that Jesse’s even taking them back through the woods the first way they came, near where Hanzo heard the heartbeat.

That night at camp he tries to listen for it over the sound of both the bear Arturito and Jesse’s snoring. When he does not hear it he sighs and runs his fingers through Jesse’s mane and settles down against him to sleep. They must be too far away from where the sound originates at this point in their journey.

If Hanzo is to free Jesse, he needs to figure out what path will lead him to his heart. It’s not so simple as to ask Jesse either, considering his reaction last time they had heard the heartbeat. It’s the last thing Hanzo wishes to do as well, cause Jesse further stress. At least what stress Hanzo can spare Jesse, at this point in his plans.

Hanzo knows full well if Jesse knew of his intentions for their future that Jesse would fight each decision Hanzo has made. But Hanzo cannot allow Jesse to suffer any longer like this, living fearfully at the mercy of some twisted Witch who confused cruelty for love. The only beings Hanzo can truly trust with everything that is to pass in the coming days is his dragons and his dragons alone. And his brother, when and if he finds Genji. It hurts, to keep these things from Jesse, but it is for the best. It has to be, Hanzo will accept nothing less than success.

It’s that thought that Hanzo clings to stubbornly throughout the rest of their journey to the glade, that everything he is about to do is best for Jesse and for himself. Even despite the great risks he plans to take. The first of the many steps hinges on how this meeting with the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade goes. Hanzo cannot do much but try to push down the anxiety he feels when they draw closer to the destination.

He needs to talk with the Nymph alone. Hanzo needs to manipulate the tincture’s use to what he needs, which he must accomplish with the aid of his dragons. If Jesse figures out the full extent of what Hanzo plans, he will stop him and then nothing will come of it, and then there’s the very real chance they will be forced apart. If not by the tincture’s full effect, then by the Witch.

He doesn’t expect gaining an audience one on one with the Nymph to be so easy, especially when it is she who requests that Jesse fetch her something she needs to finish the tincture. It leaves him alone with her just as he wishes, but he finds his voice lost as he tries to tell her of what he must do.

“If you think too hard for much longer you’re going to steam that brain of yours,” Her voice filters in passed the thoughts running rampant, “And you look like you’ve been thinking _very_ hard for some time now.”

“I have been, my lady,” Hanzo admits, holding out to her the gift he brought all this way from the Crystal Pools, “I have much to consider and much to think through the past few nights.”

“I bet.” Her voice has an edge of knowing like she knows that Hanzo knows what he does now about the situation and Jesse’s curse, “So what will you do?”

“What must be done,” Hanzo answers with conviction, hopes she will understand what he means. The more he speaks at length the more he risks Jesse returning and discovering his plans. “And I need your help to achieve that.”

The Nymph hums with interest as she takes her gift from Hanzo, “And what more would you have me do?”

“I need you to… not be entirely truthful about the tincture.” Hanzo shifts nervously on his feet, “I need you to tell Jesse only the first half of how it is used. The part about the moon, and the spirit realm. Not about how the effect is cancelled on the dawn with the second dose.”

“You little sneak,” Hanzo would be taken aback but Sombra’s voice sounds strangely _proud _when she finally speaks, “You got my sweet Sapphire to spill the beans, huh?"

“She found me to be agreeable company, I suppose.” Hanzo shrugs, “And I do not mean to do this, this _tiptoeing around_ out of malice, it is just if Jesse knew the risks I’m taking he’d—“

“He’d stop you. He’s stubborn like that, you don’t have to tell me.” Sombra seems to be floating away and Hanzo follows her best he can, his dragons pointing out where to tread as to not trample anything that looks important. He startles when the ground rumbles and he’s suddenly got a tangle of roots under him like a natural chair. When he settles, Sombra speaks again, her voice serious, “You know that mortals are not meant to gaze too long into the spirit realm. There are things that lurk there that can break a mortal’s mind just as much as the curse on Jesse.”

“I have spoken with my dragons at length about this,” Hanzo admits, “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Just as much of a risk to complete the tincture and its ritual application,” Sombra points out, “So why only do it halfway?”

“There’s only enough for two doses, right? I need the second half for my brother.”

“Your brother?” Sombra’s voice is incredulous, “Dragging him into your affairs, I see.”

“I cannot do what I need to alone, and there is no way I can ask for Jesse’s aid. The tincture would be but a precaution in case Jesse moves to stop us. It would be unfortunate to reunite with Genji and then have him lose his mind to seeing Jesse.”

“You don’t even know if your carefully laid plan will work or even be _agreed _to, and you’re risking so much,” Sombra murmurs thoughtfully.

Hanzo wonders what she must see on his face for her to pause for so long. He wonders if it is his heart, laid bare with it’s foolish, selfish desires to see these plans through. To see Jesse free and happy and… and _his_.

“I have to try,” Hanzo replies, fists curling in his lap, “for Jesse."

The Nymph makes a little amused huff noise but cannot say anything more, for Jesse returns to the glade. There’s not much else to do after that but wait for the final ingredients to be added to the tincture. A full day passes before Sombra approaches Hanzo and places a cold, small bottle into his hand. It feels like ice in his palm. He’s so focused on it he barely registers Sombra speaking with Jesse of how to apply it on the next full moon, when it is at its highest point in the sky and no later. She even adds that the rest will be up to Hanzo himself and his dragons, and then she does not speak of it any further than that and sends them on their way.

Not without a few words for Hanzo’s ears alone.

“You know what this will do to him, if you succeed,” Sombra speaks lowly into his ear, voice quiet and grave when she gathers him into her arms for a farewell hug.

Hanzo grimaces, glad Jesse is at his back farther along the path out of the glade and cannot see his face. He pats Sombra’s back before he parts from her, fully aware of the sorrow in his expression that he cannot hide.

“I can only hope he will forgive me.” And with that, he turns to join Jesse who has stopped to wait until Hanzo steps to his side.

Hanzo clutches the little vial containing the tincture tight in his palm the entire way back to their pine grove. Jesse remains none the wiser of both Hanzo’s plan and the turmoil it causes in his heart. Jesse, dear sweet Jesse, putters about the pine grove, making sure Hanzo will be more than prepared for the journey to find Genji.

Hanzo can only wonder at what may be going through Jesse’s head as he shifts about the pine grove. Their pine grove. Does he think this will be the last few weeks he spends with Hanzo? Is he counting down each minute they have left to spend together until the next full moon rises, thinking it will be the last moments they will be in each other’s company?

Hanzo suddenly worries that Jesse will pull away in the end, become distant. The thought makes him freeze in place where he sits as he listens to Jesse tend their fire. When Jesse settles next to him it takes Hanzo near a full minute to realize he’s being handed supper until Jesse has to nudge at him.

“Apologies. I was caught in my head,” Hanzo takes the meal Jesse prepared and eats without really tasting it.

“You seem t’be in there a lot, lately,” Jesse rumbles at Hanzo’s side. Ever at Hanzo’s side. “You doin’ alright?”

“I am…” Hanzo fails to find the words for the longest time to make Jesse understand but not reveal anything. At least not until the time is right. “I’m just… scared.”

“About leavin’ to find your brother?”

Sure, he’ll go with that. “Partly, yes. I am worried about him, about finding him, in what state will I find him.” _How I’m to convince him to follow me to free a man he’s never met._ “It is a lot to do. And to do alone, no less.”

Hanzo can’t help but lift a hand to seek Jesse’s, fumbles a little not because he overshot but because one of Jesse’s hands had risen to seek his. Jesse makes to pull back, perhaps in some sort of misplaced embarrassment but Hanzo catches his hand and holds fast. Even drags it to rest in his lap where his other hand joins in to hold Jesse’s more securely.

_Tell him, a_ voice scolds in the back of Hanzo’s mind, _You can risk so many things for him but you can’t find the courage to tell him?_

Hanzo’s mouth opens and closes uselessly, and Jesse merely continues the conversation none the wiser to the storm in his heart.

“It’s gonna be okay, Han,” Jesse soothes softly, and Hanzo feels the barest touch of Jesse’s knuckles brushing against his cheek, “You’re gonna be okay, and you’re gonna find him, an’ you’ll both go on to do great things after.”

Hanzo’s heart sinks and his hands tighten their hold on Jesse’s in his lap, cradling it like a precious treasure Hanzo does not want to part with. Because he doesn’t, and he hates how Jesse assumes that he can just continue with his life like Jesse never mattered. He hates that he must leave Jesse to go find Genji in the first place, that he cannot take his dear Jesse with him. How badly he wishes for his plans to work to he can see Jesse. So Hanzo can return to free Jesse and _be with him._

_He will never understand how much he means to you if you do not tell him._

“I’m scared about many other things too,” Hanzo whispers instead, “I am scared of what I may find, out there. The very thought of… _anything_ outside these woods seems alien and strange. I’m scared to go, and to learn… especially of the fate of my home.”

“Oh. Hanzo,” Jesse whispers softly back, those extra arms coming up and around to hold Hanzo close and safe, “You don’t gotta go back there until you’re good an’ ready to.”

“In truth,” Hanzo admits, leaning into Jesse’s hold, “I am not sure I would be strong enough to go.” The _not without you _lies heavy where it sits unsaid on Hanzo’s tongue.

Hanzo feels more and more like a farce with each passing second. He’s faced down slavers without fear, he’s survived their cruelty long enough to escape and free the others imprisoned alongside him. He’s met with powerful nymphs and learned to walk these paths independently, to live again despite what had been taken from him.

Yet he cannot tell Jesse how much he loves him.

It’s the silliest thing to be scared of considering all Hanzo has seen. Yet Hanzo fears laying his own heart bare for Jesse to do with what he will. The words won’t come, Hanzo’s fear and his guilt drown them before they can leave his mouth. He buries himself in Jesse’s arms instead, feels him close and warm and greedily drinks in the sensations. Clings to that worn wool Jesse wears desperately as his fears and feelings overwhelm him and he sobs. Jesse makes those soothing rumbles, rocks Hanzo in his embrace until he calms, face nestled against Jesse’s neck and his breathing slow and even.

In Hanzo's dreams, he is not such a coward, warm in Jesse’s embrace and so _so_ very loved.


	15. One Last Selfish Request

Hanzo spends many of the next few days trying to reach out with his dragons. He’s certain, at this point, that this is what he’d felt from Genji so many moons past. His brother reaching out for him as Hanzo is doing now. And with what Jesse remembers of the area, even though he admits that his information may be well out of date, Hanzo tries to centre himself through meditation and sends his dragons out beyond the woods towards the settlements that exist there. It’s exhausting, and more often than not the attempts leave Hanzo weak and drained for hours.

Often Jesse gathers him up into his arms when Hanzo collapses and merely holds him steady while he catches his breath. Hanzo drinks up the attention greedily, cuddles in close while he recovers. He’s getting close to finding his brother, he can feel it. Hanzo just needs time to do so while he’s safest to while in Jesse’s company, knowing fully well that he could be on his own soon.

Curled up in Jesse’s arms, Hanzo can’t help but run his hands over Jesse’s armswhere they are wrapped around him. Stroking idly as he mentally ticks down his list of towns checked and those that remain to be checked. Jesse does not mention if he’s bothered with the touch, especially when Hanzo keeps tracing his fingers over the strange almost armour-like plating on the top side of his upper left arm.

He must take Hanzo’s silence for unspoken interest, because he speaks after the hundredth pass of Hanzo’s fingers, “When I was human, that arm was prosthetic. An enchanted piece I had made. When I became this… well, it fused to this new form o’ mine, becomin’ literally part of me again.”

“Oh. I see.” Hanzo murmurs, “It feels interesting, I like it. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Heh, don’t think you could bother me,” Jesse admits, sounding terribly fond.

It makes Hanzo’s heart ache, and he snuggles closer into Jesse’s embrace. If this next step of his plan works, if Hanzo’s dragons can help him bend the tincture to his will on the next full moon, Hanzo might not have to leave Jesse’s side at all, at least until he goes to seek Genji. It’s still a huge risk to take though, given Jesse’s curse.

The Nymph of the Crystal Pools had warned him that curses were shaped by their intent just as much as the words used to speak them into being after all, and the Witch especially wasn’t keen on anyone being able to steal Jesse away from her. She never factored in a few key things it seems though, like the blind for instance, and Hanzo’s entire multi-step plan rests on her continued short-sightedness among other things.

If curses are partly shaped by their intent, then other magics should be as well. Including rare tinctures. Hanzo very much intends to stay at Jesse’s side, Witch be damned. Achieving this by using his dragons’ sight through the spirit realm much like one would use a lens to peer closer at distant objects or observe the stars. Amplified enough to see, but magically distant enough that the curse should hopefully have no effect.

Should. Hanzo does not truly know if this plot between him and his dragons will work. The only way to test his plan is to try it come the full moon. Should he lose his mind then well… he’ll cross that stream when he comes to it.

His father would tell Hanzo that he often looked too far ahead, trying to foresee every single move his enemy could make in order to anticipate each one. It’s one of the faults Hanzo will never admit he has, stubborn as he is, and yet again it catches him off guard. So caught up in his plans is Hanzo that he forgets the pieces moving in the present.

The day of the full moon is upon Hanzo without much warning. He doesn’t even realize it is _that day_ until the sun is setting, and he hears Jesse puttering around their pine grove with much purpose. The scent of Jesse’s cooking makes Hanzo’s mouth water, spices he’s not had in such a long time permeating the air as Jesse prepares a veritable feast.

Hanzo eats like a man starved when the food is laid out before him. It’s incredibly delicious, so grand a meal made with only what they can hunt and forage and steal from the merchant caravans that Hanzo finds himself wondering if Jesse’s ever prepared it before for special occasions. It’s that thought that has Hanzo pausing in realization, the leg of some beast Jesse caught just for him halfway to his mouth.

It is a celebration, and between the two of them and their different woes they have suffered, there is but few things to celebrate. And Hanzo never told Jesse when his birthday was, so that can only leave…

“The full moon rises tonight.” Hanzo states, surprisingly calm despite the panicked rabbit pace of his heart, “I-I completely forgot.”

“It does,” Jesse says softly, and Hanzo can hear the smile in the voice. Knows in his heart that it does not reach Jesse’s eyes. He doesn’t need to see Jesse to know that. There’s sadness in his voice, hidden under the smile. “Soon you’ll be on your way outta these damn woods.”

He must be turned away from Hanzo because he continues on unawares of the panic slowly growing on Hanzo’s face, “After supper, I’ll take you out to the pond. There’s a clearin’ there, and it is summer now, so the frogs’ll be out singin’ and the fireflies too. I figured that when the midnight hour passes an’ you got your eyes back that it would be the prettiest sight t’see. All those little bugs dancin’ just for yo— Hanzo?”

Ah. Jesse must have turned around.

“What’s wrong?” Of course Jesse’s at his side so fast, the air stirs from where he’s flopped onto his knees in front of Hanzo.

“I…” Hanzo finds many emotions vying for the frontlines in the battle his heart is raging through. Fear and guilt find it first. “I don’t want to go! I don’t want to leave you! I… I don’t even know if this will work!”

“‘Course it will,” Jesse says softly, kindly. Those large hands, all four, are warm where they fall to soothe Hanzo. Two take Hanzo’s hands, one cups his face, and the other brushes Hanzo’s hair behind his ear. “Som said it would, an’ while she’s been known ta keep her secrets she ain’t ever not been truthful with facts about this kinda magic stuff."

_Until I asked her to be,_ Hanzo thinks but doesn’t dare say it aloud. Sinks even more into his guilt, the truth threatening to spill from his tongue. Even lying by omission, especially to Jesse, feels dirty. _Selfish, selfish, selfish._

Well, if he’s digging this hole, he may as well as dig it deeper he decides. Either he loses Jesse later tonight because his and his dragons’ plan does not work; Or he loses Jesse, or the very least his _trust_, sometime in the coming days because he finds out Hanzo lied. Risks, such risks Hanzo is taking with an already harmed heart he must do so much work to claim.

“I hope you can forgive me,” Hanzo begins softly because it is as much of a confession he can allow himself, “if I ask for you to allow me to be selfish.”

“You could ask me anythin’,” Jesse replies, voice so low and gentle that if Hanzo weren’t so tuned to Jesse’s voice he would have missed it. The one hand falls from Hanzo’s hair, combing through the length of it as it falls, but the one on Hanzo’s cheek and the two holding Hanzo’s remain in place. “_Anythin’, _Hanzo, and I’d give it s’long as it is in my power to do so. So _of course_ I’d let you be selfish.”

Heat rises to Hanzo’s cheeks and he licks his lips, eventually finding his voice, “Then give me the rest of this night, whatever time we have left, with you.”

Hanzo hears the sharp intake of breath that tells him full well Jesse understood him and what he meant. Hanzo wishes he could see his face, could tell what he’s thinking. Jesse’s not recoiled, but he’s gone still like he often does when spooked, reminding Hanzo of a deer assessing the danger around them before they flee into the woods.

“Han,” Jesse finally speaks, sounding winded and disbelieving, “You can’t just— I ain’t been with no one like this and you… you _can’t_.”

“Can’t what, Jess?” Hanzo’s hands slowly move from Jesse’s, moving up his arms at a snail’s pace to not spook him further as Hanzo crowds closer.

“You can’t be serious about,” Jesse seems at a loss for words, “about _this._”

“I am, I assure you.”

_“Why?”_ Jesse snaps suddenly, starting to pull from Hanzo, “Because if… if it is because you _pity _me, Hanzo, then you can forget it.”

“Jesse.” Hanzo’s hands have made their way up to cradle Jesse’s jaw in them, and he rubs his fingers over that coarse beard in soothing circles. “Jesse, my dear, it is not like that.”

“Then what is it like?” Jesse sounds of many things in this stolen moment. Fear. Suspicion. Hope.

So incredibly vulnerable that it breaks Hanzo’s heart hearing his tall, strong Jesse sound like this. It has the same effect on Hanzo as Jesse’s panic when he speaks of the Witch does. Fuels Hanzo’s wishes to shield Jesse from the world, protect him from everything that would harm him. To see him free of these woods and the Witch’s influence.

He wants to tell Jesse as such, but his words stick in his throat with the tides of emotion and threaten to come out a jumbled mess. So instead Hanzo adjusts his hold on Jesse’s jaw to something softer and gently tugs as he urges Jesse’s face closer. Brushes his nose against the bridge of Jesse’s before he places the first kiss there, a soft peck.

Hanzo’s lips drift down Jesse’s crooked nose, pressing another to the very tip of Jesse’s nose. The shaky exhale Jesse expels Hanzo feels tousle his hair. This absolute mountain of a man is trembling from such a kind touch that Hanzo pauses to soothe him, spilling kind nonsensical words from his lips until the tremors have ceased.

Hanzo moves his face from Jesse’s then, but not far. One of his hands trails over Jesse’s face like he had done so long ago, committing him to memory in case things do not go the way he wishes them to in but a few short hours. Much like last time he’d been allowed to touch Jesse’s face, Hanzo’s touch lingers on Jesse’s mouth when his fingers find his lips. Traces them once more, finding his fangs like last time.

This time though, Hanzo leans in slowly, feels the shaky breath Jesse draws as he murmurs Hanzo’s name before their lips meet. Hanzo keeps the kiss slow and gentle, trying to kiss Jesse with every bit of love in his heart that he cannot yet find the words for. It is awkward, of course. Jesse is so much larger and Hanzo unpracticed for so long, but they find a rhythm that is their own as lips part and meet again with more confidence.

Fangs are minded, even as a hunger eventually overtakes them both, Jesse’s four arms wrapping around Hanzo as their kisses become far more heated. Hanzo startles a little when he’s lifted, clutching tight to Jesse more out of the need to remain close than any fear that Jesse would drop him. He peppers Jesse’s jaw with kisses, even as he’s aware Jesse’s attention is not on him, but whatever he’s gathering. Hanzo eventually has enough of a mind to ask.

“If this is the only night I get with ya, I… I wanna have you under the moon if that’s alright,” Jesse admits softly as he carries Hanzo out into the warm summer night, “Moon’s so bright an’ pretty… It just makes your hair shine like nothin’ else.”

“Of course,” Hanzo murmurs as he nuzzles into Jesse’s neck, placing a kiss there that makes Jesse rumble softly with pleasure, “I’d say lead the way, but you’ve taken care of that,” he can’t help but tease.

Jesse chuckles lowly, pauses in his step to adjust his hold on Hanzo to nuzzle him softly. Hanzo returns the nuzzles with a warm smile, leaving his worries in the threshold of the pine grove as his lover spirits him away into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic rating will go up when the next chapter is posted. I had to split them into two separate chapters, and on the plus side you get this first part sooner!!!


	16. Under the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lo and Behold, we arrive at the smut!  
Below you will find the following:
> 
> Size Difference, a crumb of Sheath play, Knotting and other things!  
Enjoy!

Jesse is right, the frogs are singing tonight.

And they are not the only ones, the crickets are singing too, a perfect symphony to accompany a warm summer night. Hanzo takes a moment to listen to the natural music of the night, enjoying as the notes hang in the still night air. Jesse is close by, Hanzo can hear him setting out something that sounds like a blanket shuffling overtop the grass of the clearing they’ve come to rest in.

Before long Hanzo feels Jesse come back to him where he had Hanzo wait near the base of a large oak. Jesse’s hands trail down Hanzo’s arms to take his hands in his. Jesse helps Hanzo to his feet and he gladly lets Jesse lead him to where he’s indeed spread out one of their blankets on the forest floor.

There are other things that Jesse’s brought, Hanzo bumps into them a little as he settles to lay down on the blanket. Jesse murmurs something about supplies for later before he strokes Hanzo’s cheeks, settling above Hanzo gently as he can. Hanzo shudders in delight at feeling Jesse’s presence above him, blanketing him so completely. Hanzo’s hands tug at all the fabrics Jesse wears, pouting up at Jesse above him.

“Alright, jus’ be patient a little.” Jesse murmurs, and he lifts off of Hanzo just enough to start removing his fabrics.

Hanzo can’t sit idly as he waits, his hands travel to find Jesse’s lower set of arms to stroke up them idly. Jesse rumbles softly at the touch, tossing his fabrics aside as he leans down to cradle Hanzo close. Hanzo grins and leans up to press a kiss to wherever he can reach, which ends up being the base of Jesse’s throat.

“May I see you, Jesse?” Hanzo whispers softly, trailing his hands down Jesse’s chest pointedly.

The question seems to take Jesse off guard, and he gives a soft rumble in response. Hanzo feels those large arms come around and under him as Jesse rolls over, settling Hanzo above him. He feels so large and warm under Hanzo that at first Hanzo doesn’t know where to begin. Well, he has one idea.

Hanzo can’t help but feel with his hands, up Jesse’s thick neck to cup his jaw again. Pull him into soft, insistent kisses. Hanzo’s fingers dig into Jesse’s mane just behind Jesse’s ears. Hanzo can feel them twitch cutely when they both get more into the kisses, and Hanzo has to pull back a little, unable to hold in his laughter.

“What?” Jesse murmurs, chasing Hanzo’s lips for kisses, pressing one kiss sloppily to the corner of Hanzo’s grin, “What’s so funny?”

“You’re just so cute,” Hanzo whispers back, leans up to press a kiss to Jesse’s nose.

Jesse huffs playfully, rubs one of his large hands up and down Hanzo’s back gently, pressing down slightly to urge Hanzo into more kisses. Hanzo gets an idea then, moving and placing kisses along Jesse’s jaw and up towards his ear. When he reaches it, Hanzo gently nips, huffing in amusement when it twitches again and Jesse squirms beneath him.

“Not fond of people playing with your ears, my darling?” Hanzo whispers lowly, his other hand coming up and rubbing Jesse’s other velvety ear between his forefinger and thumb.

“Wouldn’t say I’m _not _fond— _oh_.” Jesse says as he goes still beneath Hanzo again when he traces the shell of Jesse’s ear with his tongue, and Hanzo can feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.

“Cute,” Hanzo repeats, delighting in having Jesse so flustered beneath him. He can’t help but tease, “From the way you spoke of your life before this curse, I had thought you’d be more used to these kinds of things. I don’t need to see you to know you’re blushing, Sweet.”

Hanzo still pointedly cups one of Jesse’s warm cheeks in his palm and kisses the other before he kisses Jesse. Boldly, Hanzo tries to deepen the kiss, tracing his smaller tongue along Jesse’s bottom lip. Jesse seems to have taken Hanzo’s teasing to heart, because he allows Hanzo to deepen the kiss, but he does not let Hanzo set the pace of it, lapping into Hanzo’s mouth greedily with his much larger tongue.

The noise Hanzo makes in response would even make even those wise and seasoned in the ways of pleasure blush. It only encourages Jesse further, and when Hanzo parts from him to pant for breath that large tongue laps at Hanzo’s neck before he nibbles at the expanse of skin so gently with that mouth full of fangs. Hanzo becomes very aware of how little Jesse is wearing and how much he himself still is.

He starts clumsily tugging at his own mismatched clothes, stilling only when Jesse curls up and starts to help. Hanzo likes the way Jesse’s hands move over him far better than his own attempts to divest himself of his clothing, so he lets Jesse take care of it. In the meantime, he passes his hands down Jesse’s neck and over his bare chest. Hanzo has to pause in his exploration when Jesse helps tug his top off, but onceremoved it leaves Hanzo’s hands free to continue as Jesse worries about his pants.

He keeps his hands away from the scars on Jesse’s chest, keen to not sully their night with a reminder of the Witch. When he has to lift up in order for Jesse to remove his pants, Hanzo leans forwards and starts to nip and kiss over Jesse’s left pec, kneading the other with his hand. He has to stop to chuckle again as Jesse’s pleasured rumbles make his entire chest vibrate with the pleased noises.

Hanzo licks his lips when he quiets again, running his hands down Jesse’s sides with purpose. He’s so easily distracted by all the desires swimming in his head that are setting his body alight just as much as Jesse’s touch is. Hanzo’s still got much to discover before their time is up, after all. He can also tell by the minute twitches of Jesse’s form that he’s holding back to let Hanzo explore him.

Hanzo leans in and lavishes Jesse’s upper body with kisses, half to show him an appreciation for his efforts to be patient, half to feel Jesse wiggle restlessly beneath where he’s perched. A thought occurs and Hanzo smiles against Jesse’s skin, petting a hand appreciatively through his thick chest hair. It doesn’t have to be just Hanzo’s hands that he uses to explore Jesse. Hanzo starts kissing downwards, pausing to laugh so hard he snorts at the strangled noise Jesse makes when he now doubt realizes what Hanzo’s doing and where he’s going.

Hanzo delights in and nuzzles against Jesse's soft belly, trailing a hand down to follow Jesse’s thick happy trail. Hanzo has to move down to lay on the blanket as he settles between Jesse’s spread legs. Hanzo ignores what awaits him between Jesse’s legs in order to kiss and mark the insides of Jesse’s lightly furred thighs. Jesse’s tail, so kindly kept out of the way, thuds against the ground excitedly with each new mark Hanzo leaves. Jesse must get embarrassed by the sound because by the time Hanzo switches over to give his other thigh the same attention Hanzo can feel Jesse’s tail start to curl loosely around his torso and down his left leg.

Hanzo pointedly ruts his hips forward, enjoying the friction Jesse’s tail gives him on his so far neglected cock, and he hears Jesse draw in a ragged breath. Jesse’s body seems to ripple as he fights to stop himself from merely curling up and scooping Hanzo up in his arms. Yet he lets Hanzo continue his explorations uninterrupted, though Hanzo can hear where Jesse’s tearing the blanket with his claws as he tries to keep his hands to himself for now.

He’s been so good and patient with Hanzo’s exploration though, and Hanzo himself can only tolerate so much before he lets his own impatience get away from him. Hanzo leaves one more mark on Jesse’s thigh before he scootches back up again, running his hands up the inside of Jesse’s thighs and towards his goal. Jesse practically whines and an almost violent tremble rocks through him when Hanzo finally strokes between his legs.

“Interesting,” Hanzo murmurs when he finds the outline of Jesse’s sheath within the thick fur between his legs, “_Very interesting.”_

“Han—“ Jesse’s voice is cut off with a moan that sounds more like a growl as Hanzo’s hand drifts up towards Jesse’s belly and back down, stroking over his sheath with intent, “_Sweetheart_.”

His poor Jesse sounds like he’s barely holding it together and they’ve barely begun. Hanzo whispers filthy praises in his own tongue, the actual words no doubt lost on Jesse but by the way he trembles under Hanzo’s attention, he must like the sound of them all the same. A thought occurs to Hanzo and he acts on it, nuzzling the space where Jesse’s crotch meets his thigh before he moves to mouth up Jesse’s sheath, one hand drifting lower to pay with Jesse’s balls.

Near the apex of Jesse’s sheath, slick has begun to flatten the fur, and Hanzo hums at the salty taste as he seeks the source. He finds the opening of Jesse’s sheath buried in the thick fur, curiously trails a finger around the soft opening. Hanzo’s fingers dip inside slightly and are met with the tip of something blazingly hot and wet, and Hanzo and is nearly bucked off of Jesse for his efforts when his beloved’s hips stutter of their own volition.

“Did you like that?” Hanzo coos softly, running his hands soothingly up Jesse’s lightly furred belly as he leans up to seek Jesse’s mouth for kisses, “Felt like you did.”

“I like everythin’ you do to me_,_” Jesse’s murmurs against Hanzo’s lips, his hands finally moving from wherever they’ve been gripping to wrap around Hanzo, “But _Darlin’, _we needta move this along or I ain’t gonna last a moment more.”

“Alright,” Hanzo whispers, stroking Jesse’s face before pulling him into a kiss.

A pair of those large hands settle easily at Hanzo’s hips, and the other two at his back to support him as Jesse lifts him closer to flip their positions. He lays Hanzo down against the blanket again, almost like he’s setting down something treasured and priceless, and it makes something swell in Hanzo’s chest that overflows. He’s got no choice but to grip Jesse’s beard and tug him into more kisses. Deep, desperate ones that leave them both breathless.

Hanzo has to pant for breath again when they finally part, shuddering and biting his lip to muffle his own groan of pleasure when Jesse drags that long tongue along his collarbone. Everywhere Jesse kisses and licks, he also worries with his fangs oh so gently, the paths he trails setting Hanzo alight. It’s his turn to wiggle restlessly under the attention, gasping and hands flying to find and grip Jesse’s horns when that tongue laps over his cock.

Jesse rumbles out a low chuckle and Hanzo can hear the delighted swish of his tail stirring the otherwise still air as he licks over Hanzo’s cock again. Lapping at Hanzo’s cock where it lays hot and hard against the seam of his thigh like a treat. Hanzo parts his legs to give Jesse more room as he muffles his moans with his hand, throwing one leg over Jesse’s shoulder as he settles between Hanzo’s legs.

One of Jesse’s hands finds Hanzo’s and removes it from where he’s placed it against his own mouth, another encouraging Hanzo to continue to grip his horn. Hanzo barely registers the sound of a cork coming undone, paying attention to nothing else but the pleasure he feels as he is. Hanzo holds both Jesse’s horn and hand for dear life, tosses his head back against the blanket underneath him when Jesse’s third hand grips his ankle to keep his legs spread wide and the fourth hand teases a slick finger around Hanzo’s rim.

“You might haveta help me with this, Sweetheart,” Jesse purrs, lifting Hanzo’s hand he’s been holding and leading it pointedly to Hanzo’s ass, “I think my fingers are a little too big to start out with.”

Hanzo bites his lip and nods, fingers fumbling to seek his own hole, sliding through the slick Jesse left behind. He jumps a little at the cool slide of more being poured over his hand. Hanzo teases around his own rim to warm the slick before he starts to ease himself open. Hanzo can feel Jesse’s breath against the back of his hand, and the thought of Jesse watching him open himself for him so closely makes a soft moan rise from his throat before he can stop it.

Jesse rewards Hanzo with soft bites to his thighs, rumbling contentedly as Hanzo continues to work himself open. Soon enough Hanzo’s working in his second finger, and he feels Jesse’s hot mouth leave his skin. Hanzo can feel the sensation of Jesse’s eyes on him as he opens himself and he slowly slides out his two fingers, making a show of running his fingers around his loose hole before he slowly begins to ease in three at once.

Jesse actually growls, and his tail starts to hit the forest floor in impatience. Hanzo startles when that slick tongue laps at his fingers where they’re working inside himself. Curious, Hanzo slowly slides his fingers out, whines when Jesse licks into his hole with that slick, thick tongue. Hanzo’s free hand clutches the blanket tight as he throws his head back and groans, rocking his hips down onto Jesse’s tongue. Too soon Jesse retreats and so does his wicked tongue, and Hanzo growls out in frustration at the loss, but something else starts to tease at his hole.

Jesse gives Hanzo’s hole a few testing thrusts with his much larger fingers, gentle and slow. Only when Hanzo’s discomfort has passed and he finds himself rocking down on Jesse’s fingers does Jesse pull them away too. For a long moment, nothing else happens, but Hanzo can feel Jesse’s eyes on him just as much as he can feel his touch.

“Ready?” Jesse asks, cupping Hanzo’s face so gently in one of his large palms.

Hanzo nods eagerly, turning his head to press kisses to Jesse’s palm. Jesse makes that contented rumble again, leaning down and pressing his lips to Hanzo’s temple before nuzzling him affectionately. Hanzo lifts one of his own hands to find Jesse’s jaw, pulling him into a proper kiss. It’s much slower and sweeter than many they have shared tonight, and when they part Jesse keeps his forehead pressed to Hanzo’s.

Jesse’s other hands have drifted down Hanzo’s body, two back in place on his hips where his thumbs rub soothing circles. The fourth hand is curled around Hanzo’s thigh, holding his legs spread. Hanzo starts to wiggle a little in impatience when he feels something hot and wet slide against the seam of his thigh next to his own cock. Hanzo can’t help but reach his free hand down to stroke Jesse’s cock, and above him, Jesse shudders in pleasure.

“Need help?” Hanzo’s hand passes over Jesse’s cock a few more times, getting a feel for how it tapers near the tip and the much thicker base it has.

Hanzo urges Jesse to change his position so Hanzo can help lead his cock inside. The tip slips in easily with how prepared Hanzo is and both he and Jesse groan in unison at the feeling. Jesse rocks his hips a little bit, and Hanzo hisses a little in pleasure, trying to spread his legs wider to take Jesse.

It’s a slow process, especially to try to fit the thicker parts of Jesse’s cock, but eventually Jesse’s seated as far inside Hanzo as he’ll go. Hanzo’s already slick with sweat from exertion and they’ve not moved much beyond seating Jesse inside him. Jesse has gone still above Hanzo as he waits for him to adjust, lapping and kissing at Hanzo’s chest and shoulders and neck while he waits for him to give the go ahead.

Hanzo does and Jesse starts to move slowly, leaning down and nuzzling Hanzo as he growls out his pleasure. Hanzo himself can’t do much but let Jesse take him, speared on his cock as he is and overwhelmed by the feeling of it inside him. It’s been far too long for him too, but even then this is a far cry from any other way Hanzo has even fallen into bed with someone before.

Hanzo clutches the hand that is still cradling his face, pants and moans against Jesse’s palm. He can hardly get the breath to make any other sound, punched out of him as they are from Jesse being so deep inside. He can barely think, let alone have enough coordination to buck back against Jesse’s thrusts, but his body still tries. Jesse’s helping with that at least, those two hands have not left Hanzo’s hips, keeping Hanzo in place as Jesse fucks into his much smaller lover.

Even overwhelmed as he is, Hanzo demands more, babbling as much as he can through his breathlessness. Jesse doesn’t seem to be paying much mind until Hanzo grips one of his ears and pulls his head pointedly closer to Hanzo’s face again to make his desires clearer.

_“Harder,_” Hanzo growls into Jesse’s ear before he bites at the lobe of it meanly.

“Gods above,” Jesse grits out between his own pleasured huffs, “Ya get a lil’ mean when you’re lost in it, huh?”

Jesse doesn’t sound too bothered by discovering how bossy Hanzo gets, in truth it seems like he enjoys it. He certainly makes sure to deliver on what Hanzo desires, moving that hand that was lingering on Hanzo’s thigh next to them both. Jesse’s claws tear through the blanket and even the roots of the grass below it rather audibly, anchoring himself and Hanzo as his pace quickens and his hips slam against Hanzo’s harder than before. Hanzo manages to find the breath to cry out both Jesse’s name _and_ a slew of praises and encouragements.

Just when Hanzo didn’t think it could get any better, his lust hazed mind registers that the thickness at the base of Jesse’s cock seems to be getting _thicker_. Hanzo wiggles eagerly for it, trying to press himself back against it, gripping at Jesse’s mane tightly and tugging. _That_ especially seems to earn him pleasured whines from Jesse, and Hanzo licks his lips and makes sure to file away that sliver of knowledge for later.

Before long that thickness Hanzo felt slips inside him and he gasps, the feeling of it stretching him wide enough to send his orgasm crashing over him. Jesse whines at the feeling of Hanzo’s body clenching down on him, and he buries his face in Hanzo’s shoulder and stills. Hanzo can only gasp and twine his fingers in Jesse’s mane, running his fingers through the tangles and shuddering as he feels a different kind of molten heat pool in his belly.

Jesse eventually lifts his head enough to press kisses to Hanzo’s face, rumbling deep in his chest again so loudly Hanzo can feel the vibrations where they are pressed together still. Trying to move apart just makes that thickness, or _knot _rather now that Hanzo is slowly coming back to his senses enough to realize, tug at Hanzo’s rim and he moans low before Jesse stops trying to pull away.

“Shit, sorry.” Jesse curls over Hanzo to shield him from becoming too cold from the dampness of his own sweat, reaching for something before Hanzo feels that familiar wool Jesse wears pulled over them both. “I didn’t uh… didn’t figure _that_ would happen.”

Hanzo only hums and continues to pet through Jesse’s mane to soothe his embarrassment, “Don’t apologize, I like the way it feels.” He considers something before he continues, voice low and sultry, “Honestly? I look forwards to discovering more with you.”

Jesse makes a soft noise of surprise but does not comment, only adjusts his hold on Hanzo to hold him as comfortably as possible. Hanzo relishes in the closeness, nuzzling into Jesse and peppering him with kisses. At least until Jesse scolds him for squirming while they are still so tightly connected. Hanzo pouts but he does stay as still as he can, cradled close by Jesse.

“So,” Jesse murmurs eventually when Hanzo can feel Jesse’s knot starting to recede, “We still got… a few hours before midnight. If you’re still up for more discoveries, that is.”

Hanzo huffs a laugh and runs his hands over Jesse’s burning cheeks, tugging him into a kiss before pointedly rolling his hips up against Jesse’s. There’s no way Hanzo’s going to turn down a few more rounds in Jesse’s warm embrace when the moment of truth looms ever closer.

If everything goes to plan, this will not be the last night they spend in each other’s arms, Hanzo will make sure of that.


	17. Midnight

Hanzo must have dozed off, sated and warm in Jesse’s embrace after their last coupling, because when he next wakes it’s because of Jesse’s hands on him. Those large hands rock him in gentle but insistent shakes and he grouses but he does sit up, curling Jesse’s wool fabric around himself tighter to fend off the cool breeze that kicked up some time ago.

“What time is it?” Hanzo murmurs, fighting the urge to rub at his eyes. He yawns instead and stretches best he can without letting go of the fabrics he’s clutching.

“S’almost midnight,” Jesse replies softly, and Hanzo can hear him rummaging through the other things he’s brought to this clearing.

Hanzo’s handed some extra clothes, and he reluctantly starts to tug them on best that he can. His dragons help when he calls upon them. Soon enough he’s dressed again, but his hands still hold tight to the wool fabric of Jesse’s. Perhaps if he holds tight enough to it, Jesse will not leave like Hanzo can tell he wants to. Like Jesse thinks he has to.

“Hey.”

Jesse’s voice startles Hanzo a bit out of the downward spiral his thoughts had started to go, worry churning his insides that his plan will fail and he will have to separate from Jesse here and now. Hanzo makes a small noise of acknowledgement but does not lift his head. Jesse sighs softly and Hanzo feels his claws gently trail through his hair before coming to rest under his jaw and so gently lifting his chin. The kiss Jesse places on his lips is soft and sweet. It also feels too much like a goodbye so Hanzo pulls away from it perhaps a little too quickly.

Jesse rumbles softly and nuzzles Hanzo gently, his hands coming to rest on Hanzo’s shoulders to give him a soft squeeze. Hanzo feels bad for pulling away from the kiss and fumbles for Jesse’s jaw, cradling his face in his hands and pulling him close so he can rest his forehead on the bridge of Jesse’s nose.

“Just,” Hanzo’s face scrunches in something that feels uncomfortably like sadness, “Just don’t kiss me like this is the last you’ll ever see of me.”

“Sweetheart—“

Hanzo shakes his head, “We’ll find a way, no matter what. If I end up having to leave you presents in a hollow tree or something I will. I’ll write to you if I must. I just—“ Hanzo clings Jesse’s head closer and presses a kiss to his forehead, carefully as he can right between his three eyes, “I don’t think I could handle it if this ends up being a goodbye.”

_It won’t it won’t it won’t it won’t,_ Hanzo tells himself, **_It can’t._******

“We’ll figure out somethin’ like that, promise,” Jesse replies gently, still so oblivious to Hanzo’s plans, “You stumblin’ on me that day, brought a lotta light into my life darlin’, even if it weren’t under the best of circumstance. I’m grateful to be allowed the privilege to know you, an’ even if we can’t physically _be _together, well…” Jesse pauses for a moment and nuzzles against Hanzo, “Darlin’, Sweetheart o’ Mine, if it were mine to give right now my heart would be goin’ with ya. Wherever you go.”

“Know mine stays here, with you,” Hanzo whispers back, “If I must leave you then I will leave it in your care.”

“Promise I’ll keep it safe.” Jesse strokes the hair from Hanzo’s face and is silent for a long time.

Their moment is broken when Jesse lifts his head skyward out of Hanzo’s grasp, and Hanzo’s hands hang uselessly for a second midair before he places them pointedly in his lap to play with the hem of the tunic Jesse’s provided. Jesse softly sighs and kisses Hanzo’s forehead, and then his lips softly before he turns away. He comes back and places the icy tincture into Hanzo’s hands.

“I’m going to need your help to apply this, you know this.” Hanzo curls his fist tight around the tincture, “How are we to do this?”

“I’ll just haveta apply it then…”

_And then leave._

Hanzo takes a deep breath, “Will you at least watch over me until we’re sure it works? You don’t have to be in eyesight but I would appreciate knowing you are near incase something goes amiss.”

“Yeah. Yeah I can do that,” Jesse sounds reluctant but Hanzo knows he will keep his word, “Would never leave you out on your lonesome. Not if I had a choice at least.”

Hanzo nods. The tincture is ice cold in his hands but the chill of it is almost grounding. Helps keep Hanzo centred and focused on what he must do, and what he and his dragons must do. He lifts his free hand to find Jesse’s face again, to pull him into a kiss. Not a goodbye, but a promise to set Jesse free of his curse. A kiss for luck.

Jesse rumbles softly when they part and his large hands take Hanzo’s in his. Curling both their fingers over the tincture. Hanzo’s free hand drops from Jesse’s jaw to rest on top of their joined hands. They rest like that together, saying nothing, but the silence swarms with all the things they desire to. If only they had the words. Jesse is the one to break the silence finally, and it makes Hanzo’s heart sink.

“It’s time.”

Jesse opens his hands to release Hanzo’s, and he offers Jesse the tincture on a splayed palm. Jesse takes the tincture from Hanzo so gently, claw tips barely scraping against Hanzo’s skin. Then Jesse’s lower set of arms come around Hanzo in a loose embrace and help him recline comfortably in the hold while Jesse’s other hands uncork the tincture.

Hanzo can’t help but reach up and stroke Jesse’s cheek while he readies the tincture, a spell in a long-dead language soon leaving Jesse’s lips as he parts Hanzo’s hair from his eyes. Hanzo, for his part, lets Jesse’s deep voice lull him into an almost meditative state, the dragons he carries coming to simmer just beneath the surface.

He sinks so deep into it he almost misses when Jesse tilts his head back so he can pour the tincture into Hanzo’s eyes. Hanzo does not miss the first drop of the tincture. It’s like ice shards, sharp and biting and cold, and Hanzo has to grit his teeth but not close his eyes, and through all that he must keep concentration on his dragons. Keep his breathing even, keep the dragons close to the surface. He repeats the thought like a mantra as the rest of the drops are applied. Three to each eye, and then one to the centre of his forehead. The tincture then re-corked and set aside.

Jesse’s not stopped rubbing his thumb over Hanzo’s cheek where his hand has stayed to cradle Hanzo’s head. Hanzo uses the touch to ground himself further. Keep breathing, keep the dragons close to the surface. He cannot let them recede, not until midnight has passed. It feels like ages, and agony, the drops of the tincture in his ruined eyes. He can’t help but a groan of pain slip from his lips.

Hanzo can feel when Jesse starts to part from him in shock and worry, but his hand flies up to hold Jesse’s hand to his cheek. Hanzo needs him, needs his presence to ground him. Jesse seems to understand, and he cradles Hanzo tight and buries his face in Hanzo’s shoulder. His breathing soon matching the pace Hanzo set for his own.

It gets easier as the single minute that midnight lasts ticks down to the final seconds. It’s over before Hanzo realizes, and suddenly the ice shards are gone. Hanzo hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes the last second, as if he could blink the ice away and merely did so.

When he opens them, the world is bathed in a purple hue like a perpetual twilight, and orbs of light dance in the foliage surrounding both him and Jesse. Bright, happy spirits. Brighter above is the full moon, shining like a beacon in the night. Tears start streaming down Hanzo’s face before he fully realizes he’s weeping.

In the spirit realm, there seems to be double the amount of stars then Hanzo ever remembers seeing on the mortal plane. He wishes Jesse could see them.

And Jesse, dear sweet Jesse, is still clutching Hanzo close, but he’s nothing more than a lump of vibrant red and a shock of chestnut hair that seems to be slightly fuzzing at the edges while he’s cradling Hanzo like this. That’s all that Hanzo can barely make out through his tears, anyway. He clutches tighter to Jesse and turns to kiss whatever he can reach. Jesse seems to still above Hanzo then. Slowly coming to the realization that he did not move from Hanzo as he said he would, most likely. Jesse’s breathing starts coming too quickly in his panic, but Hanzo buries his hands in Jesse’s mane and nuzzles him.

“It’s okay,” Hanzo coos, “It’s okay, my Heart.”

“Han,” Jesse chokes on a sob, “Hanzo.”

He’s trembling so much, Hanzo makes to pull away to check on him but Jesse stops him, holds Hanzo to him tightly. Even growls in warning. Hanzo slowly starts to run his fingers through Jesse’s mane to calm him.

“You’re going to have to let me go eventually,” Hanzo points out gently, eyes training once more on the many stars scattered above them both.

“I’m afraid to,” Jesse admits, “What if you look?”

“I won’t,” Hanzo lies far too easily.

Hanzo’s glad Jesse did not ask him to promise that. Jesse does slowly loosen his hold on Hanzo, one arm at a time as he lays Hanzo down on the torn blanket that only hours before they were tangled up in each other in a much different situation. Hanzo does keep his eyes closed while Jesse does this, clutches at Jesse’s red wool fabric before he can part from him fully.

“One more kiss before I go?” Hanzo asks, eyes still closed.

“…One more,” Jesse replies, voice gentle.

Hanzo can’t help the smile that rises to his face when Jesse caresses his face so tenderly and leans in for the kiss. Hanzo cups Jesse’s face in his hands, kisses Jesse like he’s greeting him and welcoming him home after a hunt. Jesse whines into the kiss and Hanzo strokes his cheeks to soothe him as they part.

Hanzo opens his eyes and finds three glowing orbs staring back at him.

It takes Jesse a second, but then he’s out of Hanzo’s hold like he’s been shocked, scrambling backwards and nearly falling into the frog pond in his haste. It is the strangest thing to watch Jesse do so with his four arms, and Hanzo has to hold back a snort. It would be rude to laugh right now.

Not when Jesse looks so hurt and scared.

Hanzo does not go to him, just sits up and settles more comfortably on the blanket, gathering the fabric up to play with in his hands. Picking at the broken threads where Jesse clawed through it in the throes of pleasure earlier tonight. His ears are still trained to pick up the many sounds he’s come to learn are Jesse’s, and he doesn’t have to look to know he’s still lingering close.

He does lift his head when a stillness comes over the clearing. He finds and locks eyes with the unnaturally still Jesse, who’s melded himself into the tree line, so dark save for the bright luminous orbs that are his three eyes. Watching Hanzo from inside the haven of his woods, expression blank. No, not blank.

Wary. Waiting.

Hanzo can feel it, the thing that Jesse’s waiting for. It hovers over him like teeth ready to sink into him, makes Hanzo’s skin crawl. It is a tingling at the very back of his mind, like one of those dark errant thoughts that pop up when you let your mind stray. Hanzo can feel the curse trying to take hold of him, but it cannot seem to find purchase. Not when Jesse’s viewed through the lens of the spirit realm, as Hanzo had figured.

When nothing continues to happen Hanzo locks eyes with Jesse and pointedly pats the blanket next to him. It’s as much as an invitation as he will give, knowing full well that what happens next is in Jesse’s hands, and whether or not he chooses to be rightfully angry with Hanzo for doing something so reckless.

With that, Hanzo turns from Jesse and settles down on the blanket to get comfortable, closing his eyes to try to find some rest. For the longest time, he lays there alone, and he’s almost drifted off when a much larger form settles behind him, and four arms are slowly wrapped around him.

Hanzo finds and gently squeezes Jesse’s hand, murmurs an apology and his thanks before he finally drifts off to sleep after a very eventful night.


	18. Three Damning Words

The summer sun is warm above him, which is how Jesse groggily wakes and remembers that he is not curled up asleep in the pine grove. The blanket beneath him is almost torn to shreds, a reminder as well of last night’s activities, and his fingers catch in the tears as he moves to get up. Jesse grumbles to himself as he stretches out his too-long limbs, tail flicking as he finishes his stretches.

He only remembers Hanzo is supposed to be curled up next to him when his mind finally chases the drowsiness of waking away. Hanzo is not far though, and he has not noticed Jesse has woken. The human is curled over a makeshift campfire, brows furrowed in frustration as he curses in his own tongue over… something that would be edible if it were not currently burning to ash.

Jesse comes up to Hanzo just as the human’s frustration peaks and he merely tosses the burning food into the frog pond, sending the amphibians scattering. Hanzo startles a little when he sees Jesse when he turns and grabs at his bow to probably go hunting again.

“I thought you were sleeping still,” Hanzo admits, looking down as he fiddles with the wrappings on the grip of his bow.

“I take it whatever you terrorized the frogs with was meant for me,” Jesse replies softly, tail flicking nervously from side to side.

“It was,” Hanzo grouses, “But I am no cook, and you always made it seem so much easier than it is. I suppose I should stick to helping prepare the meat _for_ cooking, hm?”

“Prob’ly,” Jesse agrees.

Something in the air feels admittedly awkward between them this morning, and Hanzo keeps looking between his bow and Jesse. At Jesse. A shudder runs through Jesse as he remembers the final event of last night and the result of the tincture. Hanzo can see him.

Hanzo can _see_ him.

Part of Jesse is still waiting for the curse to take Hanzo’s mind, and Hanzo, from him. He can feel it trying, each time Hanzo sneaks a peek up at him from where he’s fiddling with his bow. It feels like teeth scrabbling against a glass window. Jesse just hopes it doesn’t find any cracks.

“This was supposed to be an apology breakfast,” Hanzo admits, distracting Jesse from focusing on the curse too much, “For scaring you last night. I shouldn’t have caused you such distress.”

Jesse sighs and rubs at his face, squeezing his two eyes shut while the third only continues to stare at Hanzo, “No, you shouldn’t have.” Jesse moves his hand from his face and frowns at Hanzo, “I _asked_ you not to look, and you _lied _to me.”

“And for that I am sorry,” Hanzo moves to stand, his steps more sure today with a form of sight back as he approaches Jesse and reaches for his hands, “But I needed to know…”

“Know what?! If the curse would take you?” Jesse snaps, stepping out of Hanzo’s reach, tail flicking in his agitation, “Do you _know_ how dangerous that was? How dangerous it _still_ is? If whatever shit is protecting you from the curse fails, even for a second, you’re good as gone, you know that right?”

“I know,” Hanzo tips his chin up, proud and stubborn, “It will not fail.”

It causes his hair to fall from Hanzo's eyes, and for a second Jesse is breathless.Hanzo’s eyes are still scarred, but it looks like someone had caught a handful of stars from the night sky from above and trapped it in the dark orbs of Hanzo’s eyes. Jesse has to shake his head to keep himself from getting lost in that gaze.

It gives Hanzo time to step up to him and reach to cup Jesse’s face, and Jesse lets Hanzo cradle his jaw in his hands. The heated wind taken from his sails, he slumps into Hanzo’s hold and sighs, unable to help but reach up with his lower set of hands and wrap them around Hanzo.

“You’re angry because you are hurt and scared,” Hanzo says simply, echoing Jesse’s own words from long ago, before softly adding, “and you have a right to be. It was selfish of me, it still is, it will always be.”

“I just,” Jesse rests his head on Hanzo’s, “I just don’t think it was worth the risk.”

“It was, and it is.” Hanzo wraps his arms around Jesse best that he can, nuzzling into Jesse’s chest. Solid as Hanzo is, he still feels so small in Jesse’s arms. “You’re worth every risk, Jesse.”

Jesse sighs and wraps his upper set of arms around Hanzo, shuffling his grip on him in order to pull Hanzo up into a full, proper hug. Hanzo’s arms wrap around Jesse’s neck, a gentle but solid hold and Jesse feels Hanzo press his lips to his cheek. Jesse can’t help but nuzzle against him.

“Just promise me you won’t pull shit like that again,” Jesse rumbles, stroking his claws through Hanzo’s hair, “I… I don’t want to lose you to this _thing_, y’know.”

“I know, and you won’t,” Hanzo pulls back enough and moves his hands to cup Jesse’s face, “I will promise you that much.”

“Then you’ll promise me that when you go find your brother, you’ll go on to live a happy life when you two reunite, yeah?” Jesse murmurs softly after a while, each word feeling like cold stone settling in his chest. He screws all three of his eyes shut and nudges Hanzo affectionately, “You deserve more of a life than I can give you here, an’ you know that.”

Hanzo’s brow is furrowed when Jesse’s eyes reopen, and those rough hands card through Jesse’s beard. Jesse leans into the touch, greedily committing those calloused fingers to memory. All he will have of Hanzo soon may as well be only that. Cherished memories.

“That is a promise I will not make, or keep,” Hanzo states, like it is the most simple thing in the world. Like there is no curse or witch hovering over them both.

“Han—“ Jesse starts.

“Stop.” Hanzo’s hand comes up to cover Jesse’s mouth, “For once, do not let your fears of _her_ dictate what you desire. What do you desire, Jesse?”

“You _know_ what I desire, an’ you know I can’t have i—“

“You can, and you will have it. _That_, I will also promise you.” Hanzo strokes Jesse’s face, so gentle despite the harsh tone of his voice that tells Jesse that Hanzo has thought long and hard about whatever he is to say next. “I will make sure of it, Jesse. I will see us together again.”

Hanzo looks down then, playing with a loose thread of Jesse’s serape, “I have… taken steps to ensure as much, admittedly. To ensure that… once I locate my brother, I can return here for you, that he and I both can.”

It’s Jesse’s turn to furrow his brows, his ears pinning back. He’s got a bad feeling about this.

“Hanzo… what did you do?”

Hanzo takes a deep breath, but he lifts his head and meets Jesse’s gaze evenly. Proud and stubborn, every inch the man that Jesse adores so much. It only leaves Jesse certain he’s gone and damned Hanzo to the wrath of a witch just for loving him so fiercely.

“The tincture is incomplete, in a way,” Hanzo says guiltily, voice low, “I am not… truly seeing into the plane on which you and I exist. Only the reflection of it. The plane on which my dragon’s dwell.”

“The spirit realm,” Jesse’s ear flick back more and he snarls in frustration, “_Hanzo_. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Spirits ain’t to be fucked around with.”

“I am aware,” Hanzo snaps, wiggling out of Jesse’s arms to stand stubbornly before him, “I carry _two _with me, always. Do not lecture me on the dangers of such connections when wielding such power is my birthright.”

“Spirit dragons or not, you’re not exempt from consequences, Han!” Jesse’s tail flicks agitatedly from side to side behind him, “Why the hell would you do somethin’ so dangerous?"

“For you!” Hanzo follows behind Jesse when he begins to pace, tugging at his serape to make Jesse turn to look at him, “For you, and for me. I want to be with you, Jesse, I want to make you as happy as you have made me. I want you to be free of this curse, of this place.”

Jesse wants to stop him, should stop him, because Hanzo going on like this could damn him further if the Witch gets either wind or a hold of him, which is a guarantee. But those three words, those three damn words that has Jesse somehow both melting and freezing leave that perfect, often downturned mouth.

“I love you, Jesse.” Hanzo says as he grabs at Jesse’s hands, unknowing of what he has just unleashed upon himself, “I take these risks, I do these things because I love you.”

“_Han_,” Jesse begins, reaching his third hand to cup Hanzo’s face, voice inexplicably soft and wavering, “I—“

There’s an inhuman shriek then, far in the distance, that shatters the still warm air of the morning. It causes Hanzo to whip in the direction of the sound and step closer to Jesse warily. It’s like all the warmth has been banished from the air. Jesse makes the decision for them both, turning and scooping up both Hanzo and the supplies Jesse had brought for when Hanzo was to leave the forest to seek out Genji.

“Jesse, was that—“

“You need to go, now,” Jesse interrupts, sending Hanzo a pointed look when it seems like he’s going to argue, “Please, Han.”

“But this is Sombra’s territory, the Witch can’t possibly reach—“

There’s a crack that’s much closer than the screech had been, and Jesse’s tall enough to spot one of the much taller trees of the woods start to fall. Immediately he adjusts Hanzo’s position, tossing him onto his back. Hanzo clings tightly as Jesse begins to sprint through the woods towards the border of the forest.

“She reached me when I tried to fellow ya up the damn mountain, Han,” Jesse growls as he runs, “her influence is all over these damn woods. You jus’ pissed her off somethin’ fierce.”

“And _fucking_ you didn’t piss her off?” Hanzo hisses back incredulously. Jesse catches him turning his head to look back the way they have come out of the corner of his own eye. “This Witch really is mad.”

“You said you _loved _me—“

“I do. Very much.” Hanzo leans up enough to press a hasty, sloppy kiss to Jesse’s cheek.

“Point is, she knew I used to sleep around back b’fore. She probably thought I was keepin’ you around to love on ya a lil’ and send you on your way when I was done with ya.” Jesse stops running briefly to get his bearings before he starts down another trail, heading towards where the trees are starting to thin. “But you love me. Genuinely.”

Jesse pulls Hanzo from his back to carry him bridal style, curled close to Jesse for safety as more snaps sound behind them. Jesse can’t help but nuzzle Hanzo. Hanzo presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Jesse will be damned if he lets _her_ get her hands on Hanzo.

“I can challenge her for your heart.” Hanzo grips at Jesse’s serape, clearly coming to his own conclusions. “I have a genuine claim to it… I can _free_ you, and she knows that.”

“That’s my guess too.”

Jesse hazards a look behind him and then immediately whips his head back forward to face the trail ahead, to not draw attention to the unnaturally twisted, winding branches that are tearing smaller, weaker trees out of the way to try to reach him. Or more likely, Hanzo. There are vibrant, greener branches that are trying to impede the progress of the twisted branches, and Jesse will have to thank Sombra for the aid later.

The tree line is just ahead and Jesse pushes himself for it as fast as possible. He’s so close, so very close, and Hanzo is almost out of her reach—

The ground rumbles below him and breaks, twisted roots winding around his ankle and dragging him down. Hanzo cries his name in alarm, but Jesse pushes him away and tosses the bindle of supplies to him. Some of the roots reach for Hanzo but Jesse snarls and grasps at them, ripping at them with his claws.

“Jes—“

“Go!” Jesse snarls, “I’ll be okay, she’s after you!”

Hanzo seems torn, but after another branch tries to reach for him he scrambles up and away from it, farther from Jesse. He keeps looking back to Jesse as he retreats towards the edge of the woods. Jesse focuses on tearing apart each branch that gets too close to his lover. It keeps Jesse hot on Hanzo’s heels enough to see that he makes it out of the woods, to Jesse’s great relief.

The branches stop fighting Jesse and slink back into the dark foliage of the woods once their quarry is out of their reach, and Jesse himself runs to the threshold of the forest edge. Hanzo is panting heavily just a foot or so beyond the tree line, though he turns and looks to Jesse with wide eyes. Jesse slowly edges himself as carefully as he can towards him, extending his tail to keep part of himself inside the woods.

Hanzo reaches for him, strokes Jesse’s face and looks him and his minor wounds over worriedly. Jesse makes a soft rumbling noise to soothe Hanzo’s worries, cups Hanzo’s face and kisses him, running his fingers through his hair gently.

“This is not goodbye,” Hanzo promises as they part, “I’ll be back for you, and next time I leave these woods, it will be with you at my side.”

Jesse wants to believe him and wants to tell him as much. Instead, he nuzzles against Hanzo affectionately and kisses him again. Cradles Hanzo’s face in one set of his hands. His other set of hands work to loosen the serape from around his shoulders to place it around Hanzo’s once again.

“I love you,” Jesse whispers for Hanzo’s ears alone, “Never forget that.”

“I won’t,” Hanzo murmurs as he clutches the serape around himself.

Hanzo then curls his arms around Jesse’s neck and gives him one last hug. Jesse rumbles softly and it is him who reluctantly pulls away to slowly slink back into the tree line. Watches as Hanzo gathers the bindle of supplies and stands. They share one last long, lingering look before Hanzo turns and begins his trek towards the nearest town.

Jesse watches until Hanzo’s a speck on the horizon. He then slinks sadly back into the darkness of the woods to wait.


	19. A Lonesome Road Ahead

There’s no wind rustling the leaves as it moves through the trees anymore. No birds singing, or the scent of pine. Just Hanzo’s steady steps on the dirt road, kicking rocks out of his way when his feet knock into them. Even despite the heat of the summer sun, Hanzo holds the serape tight around himself. It’s not sweat running down his face though, the serape is cool even in the heat.

It’s tears.

That was not how Hanzo had wanted to part from Jesse. There’s still so much Hanzo had to tell him, to explain the next part of his plan to Jesse. To reassure that Hanzo would come back to him. Part on better terms than an unfinished explanation and the doubt Hanzo knows Jesse carries about his return. If only Jesse knew that seeing the lengths that Witch will go to keep Jesse trapped and miserable, it only serves to steel Hanzo’s resolve to return.

He’ll kill her himself if it means Jesse’s freedom. The Nymph of the Crystal Pools had admitted doing so could be one such way to end Jesse’s curse, albeit an unwise and difficult way. Yet it is a better option than the alternative she provided…

Hanzo shakes his head and lifts it. Jesse needs him, and the longer he remains moping and turning over the what-ifs is precious time he needs to locate Genji.

He should be coming up to the nearest town, or at least the town Jesse recalled being closest to the forest. Hanzo has to squint, the sun is utterly blinding even viewed with his dragon’s sight. The landscape is washed out and a purple-white during the day in the spirit realm. It makes it so difficult to see that Hanzo has to dip his head down as he walks to keep the sun from his eyes.

“Is it always this way for you two?” Hanzo asks his dragons.

_It is not,_ they answer, _Perhaps this is a side effect from our sight being connected to yours. There were many things you were desiring while we were trying to alter the tincture to permanently allow you this Sight. This is one such thing that between us may be… translated poorly. As such things between Mortals and the Spirits can often become._

It makes Hanzo miss the woods even more. The trees at least had filtered the blinding light from the sun when he’d woken this morning. He shuffles the serape around on his shoulders, pulling up the excess fabric over his head like a hood. It helps keep the sunlight out of his eyes a little bit.

He should have woken Jesse this morning to watch the dawn with him. But Jesse had looked so sweet and comfortable, and Hanzo had wanted nothing more than to surprise him with a breakfast to apologize for lying about looking at him after the tincture.

Hanzo will make it up to Jesse by succeeding in freeing him, he decides as he hazards another look across the fields for a sign of the town. Maybe they can watch the sunrise together outside of the woods when Jesse is free.

Hanzo strides forwards with more purpose at the thought. Before long the sun has passed the highest point in the sky and has started its descent below the horizon. Hanzo decides to stop for the day, and ducks off of the road to find somewhere to set up camp for the night. It is not the woods he’s come to know, but Hanzo finds a little cluster of trees and shrubs to duck down in for the purposes of shelter.

Only then, after he’s built a small fire, can Hanzo go through the supplies Jesse has provided. Without the sunlight bearing down, it is much easier for Hanzo to see with his borrowed sight. There are dried meats in the bindle, and dried berries, wrapped in fabric that’s been rubbed with beeswax to seal the food inside. Likely the waxed fabrics are from the merchant carts Jesse pillaged, as Hanzo doesn’t remember Jesse keeping bees.

There’s also a change of clothes, and supplies to replenish Hanzo’s arrows. There’s also furs from the winter rabbits that Hanzo remembers both he and Jesse working on skinning. The furs will make Hanzo a decent bit of coin when he gets into town, which he can use to further fund his travels. Purchasing a horse will help immensely.

He can also use the coin to buy information on the whereabouts of his brother, should he need to.

Jesse also provided a little stone carving, down at the bottom of the bag, of a dragon curled up to snooze. It brings a watery smile to Hanzo’s face. When he pulls it out he discovers it is a pendant on a simple leather string. Hanzo puts it in on and makes sure it’s safe underneath the serape.

_We miss him too_, the dragons admit.

Hanzo only nods. He eats quietly and waits until the fire is nothing but coals before he curls up to sleep. It is a restless night for him, and in the morning he feels just as exhausted as he was when he went to sleep. Yet he must go on.

Hanzo travels along the same road and keeps an eye out for the town. When the sun is far too high in the sky again, he adjusts the serape into a makeshift hood once more. He passes the time by speaking with his dragons and planning what he will do once he reaches town.  
  
Find a place to sell the rabbit furs, perhaps, then see about transport, and news of his brother. And then Hanzo’s search can begin in earnest.

It’s only a few short hours before sunset when Hanzo finally finds the town. At first, its the farmlands that he finds, workers tending fields of summer crops. Some of them lift their heads to look his way, the closest people eye him warily. He can only imagine how he must look to them, wandering on foot on the road that passes through the woods and even heading from that way.

Hanzo wonders how those on the outside speak of Jesse. Do they speak of his beloved in horrified hushed whispers around their campfires? Is he the creature that parents warn their children will whisk them away in the night if they do not behave? Hanzo decides that he does not wish to know, and it is likely for the best. He still has trouble holding his temper, after all.

Past the farmer’s fields the town proper begins. The town guardsmen give him a wary once over, and Hanzo can feel their eyes following him long after he has passed their post. He enters into a market area, at least, so he can find someone to peddle the rabbit furs to. So he goes about that first.

There’s at least not too much of a crowd to navigate as Hanzo imagines there would be during the middle of the day. Still some interesting people about though, and things Hanzo has only ever heard about. There’s a large, glowing golem standing near a stall that seems to be selling ingredients for herbal remedies. With his borrowed sight, the creature practically lights up most of Hanzo’s tinctured vision, the stone automaton absolutely alight with arcane runes.

The flow of the crowd that remains has Hanzo passing nearer to it, and it lifts his head and looks at him, blinking with tiny eyes that are but dots in it’s smooth face. All of it’s joints glow brilliant orange. To Hanzo and his dragon’s sight, it’s hard to look at too much. So Hanzo turns his head away and pulls his hood up, and keeps moving through the market.

Eventually, Hanzo manages to find a man at a stall with other furs to sell his rabbit furs to. The man’s stout and looks over Hanzo with a discerning eye before he grins wide. Informs Hanzo he’ll purchase each fur for a gold each. That’s more than enough to fund his travels, so Hanzo is more than happy to sell the furs for that amount.

What does not please him, is that man placing copper into his hands. Hanzo can feel his dragons bearing their fangs.

Hanzo frowns as he rubs the coins together, “You said you’d pay me in gold.”

“Yeh, an’ I did.”

“Then you are the blind one, my _friend_.” Hanzo growls, “Because these are not gold coins.”

“You gettin’ smart with me?” the man stands and puffs up his chest, and Hanzo lifts his head to get a better look.

The man is a dark splotch in the realm of spirits. Muddy and murky. Someone who has greatly displeased many spirits and someone who will find no peace when he passes beyond the veil himself. Hanzo bares his own teeth and lifts his head to start in on him when a hand falls on his right shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

“Gerry, the man is blind not dumb, now how about you give the man his gold like you promised an’ stop bein’ such a fuckin’ ass.” A female voice says to his right. The person who the hand currently on his shoulder belongs to.

The man sputters and flinches back when that same golem Hanzo had spotted earlier comes up on Hanzo’s left and leans over the man. Hanzo’s rightful gold is passed into his hands, and he tucks it away somewhere safe. The hand on Hanzo’s shoulder moves to his arm before he can say anything else, and the next thing he knows is he’s being dragged away.

When Hanzo tries to pull away from her grip the golem takes a hold of his other arm. Suddenly when they pass an alley, the golem shoves him towards it and the woman follows after.

“What are you doing?” Hanzo snarls, moving to reach for his hunting knife.

“I’d think ‘bout what you’re doin’ before you ask what we’re doin’,” the woman says, and when Hanzo turns to face her she’s pointed a large, ornate heavy crossbow at him.

Her hair is black, streaked with the greys and it parts over red eyes. She’s some sort of sorceress, that much is certain, from both her garb and her huge golem compatriot. Between her and the golem, Hanzo’s not got much of a hand to play here. He moves his hand from the hilt of his hunting knife and pointedly holds it out to show that he’s no longer trying anything.

“That’s swell,” The woman says cheerily, grinning with a smile that has Hanzo thinking of the trickster foxes from his homeland, “Now, you’re gonna be a good boy for me, an’ you’re gonna tell me some things.”

Hanzo’s at a loss for what she could possibly want from him, but he’ll have to play along. The golem has a grip on both his arms now. The woman moves pointedly closer, lifting that crossbow to point the bolt right between Hanzo’s eyes.

“You’re gonna tell me where the _fuck_ you got _that serape_.”


	20. Unlikely Allies

It takes a few moments for Hanzo to realize what she’s referring to. When it clicks through, he clutches the serape tighter to himself best that he can while the golem is holding tight to him. Hanzo can’t help but scowl at her, even despite the crossbow being waved in his face.

“It was given to me.” Hanzo growls out.

“Bullshit. The fella that serape belongs to been missin’ for over fifty damn years,” the woman spits out at him, “Only way he’d part with it is if he’s dead. So where didja find it? On his corpse? You grave robbin’, you sonuvabitch?”

“_Jesse _gave it to me willingly._” _As soon as his name leaves Hanzo’s lips both the woman and the golem seem to share a moment of shock. It gives Hanzo an opening to wiggle out of the golem’s hold, which he does so. Indignant, he lifts his chin and huffs, “And if you must know, he is very much alive, thank you.” Hanzo pauses and hesitates, muttering mostly to himself, “If in a most complicated way.”

The woman seems to have another silent conversation consisting of squints, twitches of her mouth, and scrunches of her nose between herself and the golem behind Hanzo. The golem himself only seems to blink or tilt his head in different ways. Finally, the golem simply blinks once more, long and slow, and the woman growls out in frustration but lowers her crossbow. She strides up to Hanzo and jabs at his chest with one finger, the nail so sharp it may as well be a claw.

“Here’s the deal, Starry-eyes.” Hanzo scrunches his nose at the nickname but does not comment. “You’re gonna come with us, an’ you’re gonna tell us all you know ‘bout Jesse.”

“I don’t have to go with you anywhere,” Hanzo snarls, batting her hand away, “I do not have _time_ for you. If there is a quarrel between you and Jesse, you can bring it up with him when he is free.”

Hanzo makes to step around her, cautiously because she still has that crossbow at her side, but her palm slaps against the wood wall of the alley to impede his path. Hanzo turns to face her to insist she leave him be but he stays his tongue. All the aggression disappeared from her form, her shoulders have slumped. Her wispy, blurring-at-the-edges reflection in the spirit realm is a picture of sorrow.

“Look,” she turns to him, her voice is still rough but far softer, “I just want t’know where he’s at, alright?”

“Why?” Hanzo looks her over warily. Jesse said he used to be a bounty hunter, this could possibly be an enemy. Her earlier aggression has not endeared her to Hanzo either. “I’ve no reason to trust that you are not seeking him out to harm him.”

Her nails scratch the wall where her fingers curl into a fist but she otherwise does not lash out again. She seems to be taking deep breaths to calm herself. She returns her arm that was blocking Hanzo back to her side where it thuds against her thigh a few times before she straightens and crosses her arms.

“The fella is like my lil’ shit brother, alright?” She lifts her head and glares at Hanzo, “So I’d appreciate _some_ news on his whereabouts. Hell, I’ll even put ya up for the night in exchange. I doubt you got a place to stay.”

Hanzo is naturally conflicted, but if all she desires is news of Jesse in exchange for lodgings, then that’s as good of a deal as any as he is going to get. Besides, already someone had tried to swindle him because of his blindness, there’s no telling who else will try to take advantage of him. Her aggression aside, she _had_ helped him.

Hanzo slowly nods. Her scarlet lips curl into a smile, much friendlier than before.

“Name’s Ashe,” she holds out a hand for him to shake, which he does. She jerks her head towards the golem, “An’ that’s Bob.”

“Shimada Hanzo,” Hanzo bows shallowly, “at your service.”

“Well then, Hanzo, follow on behind us now.”

Hanzo does. She leads both him and the golem through the streets of the town. There’s more staring Hanzo can feel following him now, but he feels it’s more about the company he is keeping. Eventually they seem to come to a residential district, and the staring feeling finally leaves Hanzo. He is lead to a fairly quaint homestead closer to the town outskirts and is ushered to follow Ashe inside. Bob has to duck through the doorway behind them.

It’s cozy, especially when Ashe gets the fireplace going. There’s a variety of things laid around, though with his dragon’s sight, some things do not translate well in the spirit realm. Hanzo can make out the lumps of simple furniture, as well as what seems to be a well-stocked bookshelf. The walls have picture frames, and Hanzo assumes there are portraits inside. He can only assume though, as the frames appear empty to him.

The most interesting thing is that all the thresholds are alight in his borrowed sight. The windowsill and the doorways seem to have what Hanzo assumes is a protective line of salts and herbs. He decides he’s snooped far more than is polite considering he has to move close enough in order to see some things, and settles into a chair near the fire. He flails a little when it rocks back, and he flushes when he hears Ashe snicker as she stokes the flames with an iron poker.

“Havin’ a hard time tellin’ what’s what?” She asks, and elaborates when Hanzo’s face scrunches in confusion, “I can tell that you’re usin’ some sort of Sight. Most people won’t because they ain’t in touch with the arcane like me. That’s why Gerry tried to cheat ya.”

“Thank you for that, by the way,” Hanzo murmurs, “I doubt I would have made a great impression on the town guard by threatening that man for my gold myself.”

“They woulda arrested ya both jus’ for something to do,” Ashe says as she stands and settles into the other chair in front of the fire. She looks to her large stone friend, and snaps out a short, “Bob,” and jerks her head in the direction of a small, simple kitchen area.

The golem blinks and moves past towards the kitchen, and Ashe turns her attention back to Hanzo. “You a tea or coffee guy?”

“Either is fine,” Hanzo can’t help but feel a little bit excited at the prospect of either drink. It was one luxury that the merchant carts passing through the woods never seemed to have, even though Hanzo knows Jesse looked specifically for them at times.

“Tea it is, it’s gettin’ too late for coffee,” Ashe murmurs to herself before she snaps at Bob again.

The golem merely begins to gather the things he needs to prepare the tea. Ashe in the meantime lights a carved pipe and hooks her foot around a stool to tug closer to herself, propping up her feet and relaxing into the chair. She seems to be waiting for Hanzo to begin, he realizes too late, lost in his own thoughts about how small a cup of coffee would be in Jesse’s massive hands.

Hanzo mulls over where _to_ begin. He decides to start with how he came to knowJesse. Hanzo explains the raid on his home, the slavers and his escape, and how he literally ran into Jesse. Ashe’s face darkens when Hanzo gets to explaining Jesse’s now monstrous appearance, and the curse laid on him by the Witch. Through his tale, he admits that he’s working to save Jesse and their romantic involvement, and how Hanzo had pissed off the Witch because of that involvement and had been forced from Jesse’s side.

“Never in a millennia would I have ever thought that all that talk ‘bout the creature in the woods was actually ‘bout Jesse,” Ashe says as she shakes her head slowly in disbelief, “I mean, the sightings started ‘round the time he went missin’ but… didn’t connect it.”

“You had no reason to suspect that it was him,” Hanzo points out, “Not unless you knew the situation with the Witch.”

Ashe scrunches her nose and her frown deepens. Bob shuffles past them both to hang the kettle on the fire. Bob then settles on his own little stool between Hanzo and Ashe’s chairs. Hanzo suspects that he’s taken Bob’s usual spot. The chair underneath him is slightly enchanted, there are runes all softly aglow inlaid into the wood, likely to bear the golem’s weight.

“I mighta heard McCree talk a lil’ ‘bout a witch in these parts,” Ashe admits, “Said she gave him a good price on things he needed for his hunts. I didn’t think he’d end up in trouble.”

“He didn’t either,” Hanzo replies, “But he won’t be in trouble much longer, I promise you. I plan to free him from the curse she laid upon him.”

“You know how?” Ashe raises an eyebrow at him, “Curses are some serious shit, an’ if this witch was worth her salt then it’s got layers upon layers. Especially if it’s kept Jesse trapped for fifty years.”

“I do not think he realizes it’s been so long,” Hanzo admits, “If indeed it has. Forgive me, but you do not look your age.”

Ashe pulls the pipe out of her mouth and blows smoke into the air, grinning as the wisps take form into some strange, otherworldly creature, “Pacts with strange beings will do that to a girl, Honey.” her face turns serious once more and she places the pipe back to her lips, tapping the mouthpiece there thoughtfully, “Back to this curse though, you plan on breaking it? You_ do_ know how?”

“I have been given information on the means to break it, yes,” Hanzo sits up and rummages through his bindle, pulling from its depths the rest of the tincture, “My first step was to use this to meld my sight with that of my spirit guardians.” He hands Ashe the tincture when she reaches for it to examine it.

“I know what this is,” Ashe swirls the glowing liquid inside, “Most use this to look into the Other Side for answers an’ then use the rest to return their sight to our side. I see you managed to alter it for your own means.”

“I did.” Hanzo motions to his face, his ruined eyes, “Before I had simply used my guardians as guides, but maintaining a physical summon so they could more accurately lead my path exhausted me. The tincture and how we have altered it is a much more efficient means for them to lead me without exhausting me. It still comes with limitations, though, as I am slowly learning.”

Ashe nods and hands Hanzo back the tincture, “One dose of this stuff is still valuable for those with arcane knowledge like me, I’m surprised you ain’t pawned it yet.”

“I do not intend to,” Hanzo admits, “My next step in freeing Jesse is to locate my brother, and somehow convince him to return to the woods with me to free Jesse. And so Jesse’s curse does not bring harm to him,” Hanzo motions to the tincture, “I would teach him to connect to his guardian’s sight as I have done mine. If he agrees, that is. If he does, I will of course eventually look for another dose to return his sight to normal.”

“If he agrees,” Ashe echoes, “An’ after you find your brother an’ head back if he does?”

“Together, we challenge the Witch,” Hanzo says simply, “and we kill her.”

“Ah, I see. The real simple way o’ breakin’ curses, destroy who placed the damn thing in the first place.” Ashe gives a considering hum. “Upside it is guaranteed to work, though that’s if you don’t die.”

“There is, admittedly, another way that was told to me by the Nymph of the Crystal Pools,” Hanzo says softly, “But it is not worth the harm it will bring to Jesse. I choose to destroy her and take this risk over bringing him that harm.”

“Heh, you really do love him.” Ashe murmurs to herself thoughtfully.

The kettle over the fire starts to whistle and Bob moves to prepare the tea, soon handing worn, chipped cups to both Ashe and Hanzo. They both sip their tea in silence. Eventually, long after Hanzo’s cup has drained, Ashe stands and motions to the comfier chair she had occupied.

“I ain’t got a guest room, so you’ll have to put up here for the night. Fire’ll at least keep you cozy, an’ there’s a stool to put up your feet.”

“It is more than adequate accommodations, thank you,” Hanzo replies as he moves to that chair, finally removing the serape from his shoulders to use as a blanket for the night.

Ashe nods. “You get some rest, an’ tomorrow we’ll see about gettin’ word about your brother. After that, we’ll head out an’ find him.”

Hanzo nods along before he realizes, turning in his chair to catch her before she enters her bedroom. “Wait, _“we”?_”

Ashe turns to face him and shrugs, “_Someone’s_ gotta watch out for ya out there. ‘Sides, that sorceress is really a Witch with a capital B for doin’ that shit to Jesse, an’ she messed with the wrong family.”

Hanzo can only watch stunned as she disappears into her bedroom. Though he admits, he feels slightly better about both his odds and the coming days.


	21. Chasing Dragon Tales

True to her word, Ashe accompanies Hanzo when they set out the next day to see if any of the townsfolk have seen Genji. Describing Genji, or at least how Hanzo remembers him, over and over again is tiring, and by the fortieth time, Hanzo’s mouth feels uncomfortably dry.

Ashe shows him where to refill his waterskin at the well in the middle of town, and then they continue their search. Hanzo admittedly is starting to get frustrated the more that people tell him they have not seen Genji. It’s only closer to the outskirts of the town when they see if any of the farmers or farmhands have seen him where they get their lead finally.

“I seen ‘im around,” this small, frail grandmother named Mildred tells Hanzo finally at one of the farmhouses, “Feller came around lookin’ for one of those slaver’s carts. I told ‘im we’d spotted one comin’ on the road here before the last winter set in. Though we didn’t see much of it to know what poor souls were in those carts, mind you. We tend ta hide when they come ‘round. Last time one was through here, it took my daughter…”

“I am sorry for your loss,” Hanzo interrupts before the old woman can ramble further, “but I was on that cart, and the man I seek is my brother. Do you recall how long ago you saw him, and perhaps you know where he went?”

Mildred seems to think, for a long while, her thin lips pressed together in concentration. Hanzo and Ashe wait patiently for a long while, and when a soft low snore comes from the old woman Ashe growls in frustration. Hanzo rubs his temples and taps the old lady on her shoulder.

“Madam, please,” Hanzo asks again, “About the sighting of my brother?”

“Oh, yes, it was around the early spring that young gentleman came through.”

Hanzo can’t help the relieved smile that comes to his face. Genji had been searching for him, and there’s no doubt in Hanzo mind now that the presence of Genji’s dragon he’d sensed so long ago was not just wishful thinking on his part.

“Where did the kid head off to after he came through?” Ashe repeats the other part of Hanzo’s question.

“Well, now that’s where it gets interestin’,” Mildred says, “Fella was real set on goin’ into the woods,” at Hanzo and Ashe’s raised eyebrows she continues, “Yes! Those very ones over yonder!” She even dramatically points with her thin, boney fingers, towards where the forest is just a thin, dark line on the horizon. “We all told him he’d fall upon great misfortune if he went through, that beast that lurks in the shadows there will take his mind, if it don’t jus’ eat him!”

Ashe doesn’t look impressed, her own scarlet lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes squinting. She’s probably trying not to roll her eyes, now that she knows that Jesse is that same beast the townsfolk speak of. Hanzo himself has already gotten real tired of hearing the tales of the so-called wretched beast in the woods. The town had more tales of Jesse than they did of Genji.

“Did he heed your warning?” Hanzo asks, making a conscious effort to be polite and not let his many mounting frustrations with the town gossip show.

“Oh he did, even if he was still real insistent ‘bout headin’ into the woods,” the old lady shakes her head, “Said he felt somethin’ real important out there. Sounded like a load of hogwash to me, he sure didn’t look like one o’ them oracles, feelin’ spirits an’ all that.” She tilts her head and studies Hanzo, “You look lots like him, y’know, I think it's the eyebrows.”

Hanzo thinks Ashe is far closer to slamming the woman’s own door in her face and leaving than he is at this point.

“Runs in the family,” Hanzo replies tersely, “Which way did he go if not through the woods?”

“Around,” the old woman replies, stroking her chin as she thinks, “Most take the road around, only the most desperate risk goin’ through. I think he headed o’er to Rirdany, that’s the town that’s on the other side, they got more o’ them magic folks out that way. Think someone told ‘em he could get more help there.” She looks to Ashe, “Woulda sent ‘im ta our own Ms. Ashe but she was out that day.”

“Yeah, well, Basilisks don’t take care o’ themselves Mildred,” Ashe said, keeping her tone polite. She looks pointedly to Hanzo, waiting for him to finish his questions so they can leave.

“Thank you for your information,” Hanzo gives a shallow bow to the old woman, “your help is invaluable.”

“You’re welcome dearie,” Mildred replies, “Now, if only my own grandson was as polite as you, well I’d—“

Hanzo and Ashe are hastily leaving the property while trying to make it not so obvious they are speed walking away. They have a direction now, at least, and that is more than they had this morning. Together they make plans for transport, renting a cart with two horses so they can all travel easier. It isn’t the fastest way, but it is better than walking, and it means that they can bring Bob with them out onto the road after Ashe enchants the cart to be able to bear the golem’s considerable weight.

They both also agree to take the long road around the woods instead of cutting through, unwilling to risk an attack from the Witch.

The enchantment takes two more days to complete, but by then they are both more than ready to head out. Hanzo has a good feeling about the next town over, his dragons agree as well. Ashe drives the cart and Hanzo and Bob ride in the back with their supplies. The ride is relatively uneventful, but long, and in the early hours of their second day of travel they begin to pass the woods. On the outside looking in, Hanzo finally realizes how massive the woods truly are. Hanzo knows that Jesse lives closest to one side of it, where the main road runs through.

Hanzo might also be taking the opportunity as they go around to plot out his entry point when he returns. He closes his eyes and tries to listen for the sounds he knows so well. Birdsong, leaves rustling through the trees. Faintly in the distance but slowly growing louder as the cart moves on, there’s sound of a waterfall. Hanzo smiles to himself, mapping out the locations he knows in his mind. The pine grove is not far from where the main road cuts through, he knows as much.

The frog pond is the closest landmark to the edge of the woods, and it had been east of the pine grove. The frog pond is also only eighteen of those flat river stones that Jesse had buried as a path away from the pine grove. If Hanzo can make it to the frog pond, he can find the path and find Jesse again and make sure he’s safe before Hanzo goes to confront the Witch.

He’d decided long ago that he could not take Jesse with him to face her. His beloved fears her too much, and there’s no doubt in Hanzo’s mind that she would find ways to taunt and torment Jesse further. Hence his need for back up in the form of his brother, and now Ashe and Bob. He’s not certain how she will protect herself from Jesse’s curse, but she’s persistent on seeing him and apparently has her own means of Sight like Hanzo and his dragons.

Hanzo closes his eyes and prays as the cart rocks underneath him, willing Jesse to be safe until Hanzo can return to him. He knows Jesse has allies in the form of Sombra and her bear Arturito, and they have kept him safe for all these years, but part of Hanzo still fears that it will not be enough with the full unleashed fury of the Witch. His hand comes up under the serape and clings to the pendant of the stone dragon. Hanzo silently promises Jesse that he’ll be back as soon as he can.

After that, the cart can’t move fast enough for Hanzo’s taste over the next few days. They finally reach Rirdany after two more days of travel, a much larger town than the one they had left behind. It’s also closer to the woods too, and the mountain range that Hanzo knows houses the Nymph of the Crystal Pool’s crystal cavern. Hanzo wonders if she’ll be amiable to him visiting once this whole mess is over with.

But that is pondering for another day, when things are much quieter than the bustling town streets. Hanzo scrunches his nose at the noise as it gets louder and louder the more the cart enters the town proper. He doesn’t realize he’s been clenching the side of the cart so tight until Bob reaches over and gently removes his white-knuckled grip from the siding.

“I’m just nervous,” Hanzo admits when the golem blinks at him, “If my brother is here… I just have not seen him in some time.”

Bob gives a small nod. Before long, Ashe had steered the cart into a stable at the side of an inn, and as soon as their belongings and Bob are settled into a shared room they begin to properly take to their search to the streets. Hanzo doesn’t even know where to begin, but Ashe has some ideas.

“If your brother is lookin’ for magic to help him with lookin’ in the woods for you, he’d need to find a mage,” Ashe speaks only loud enough for Hanzo to hear, helping him navigate the crowds with her much more aggressive walk, “An’ a mage’s help ain’t cheap. I’d reckon there’s a good chance he’s still here if he only managed to reach this place this spring. Bet you we’ll find him if we ask the guilds, they’re always hirin’ help an’ they pay well. Jesse an’ I used to take contracts from ‘em all the time.”

Hanzo nods and follows her lead. She does ask him what kind of skillset Genji has and where he might seek work because of it. It narrows down their search, as swordsmen are always in need. Soon enough Ashe has lead Hanzo to a larger building closer to the middle fo the town.

Ashe pushes the large oak door open and ushers Hanzo through. He can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when Ashe steps through behind him and the door swings shut, dampening the noise of the street. It’s also much darker inside, which helps with the headache Hanzo’s beginning to get.

There’s people about, well armed people, some of them approaching a large desk where a woman sits, others lounging about. Ashe ushers Hanzo to approach the desk, and after waiting for a large boisterous man and red-haired woman clad in armour to clink away when their turn is up, Hanzo approaches.

The woman behind the desk is old, but her eyes are sharp underneath her headscarf. Or eye, rather, as one is covered with an eyepatch. She looks Hanzo over with much scrutiny, focusing briefly on his eyes, before she speaks. Her voice is rough with both age and wisdom, yet warm. 

“Welcome Seer,” she gives him a small nod, “I am Ana. What is it that brings you to my guild today?”

“I am no oracle or soothsayer,” Hanzo corrects hastily and bows, “just Shimada Hanzo. If I were gifted with such abilities, I would likely already know the location of whom I seek.”

“And who is it that you seek?” Ana sets her quill down and Hanzo gets the feeling he’s being studied more closely.

“I do not mean anyone harm, I assure you,” Hanzo replies, “I am only looking for my brother. My… friend here says that if he was seeking work he may come to your guild as befitting his skillset.”

“I should have realized, you said your family name was Shimada,” Ana begins, and Hanzo’s heart feels like it’s doing flips in anticipation, “There was one who came here bearing that name seeking work, and while he is out on an assignment at this moment, I believe he is due—“

Just then the front door of the guildhall opens behind them, and while Hanzo keeps his attention respectfully on Ana, Ashe is soon jabbing at his side. When he turns to scold her, she grips him and turns him to fully face the door.

Staring back at him is Genji, his eyes wide in shock. He’s so bewildered that the large oak door smacks him and he’s shoved a little bit more inside the guild. In the sight granted to him by his dragons, Hanzo can see Genji’s own spirit guardian.

His borrowed sight suddenly leaves him back in darkness when he feels his own dragons go to their sister out of sheer joy. They warned him of such a side effect should Hanzo make them leave his side, but right now he cannot find it in him to care. His dragons’ joy is his own, and he finds himself cautiously moving forward towards where he last saw Genji.

He does not get far before a body slams into his and a pair of arms wrap around him. Genji’s hold on him is so tight Hanzo very nearly can’t breathe, and he has to pat his brother and let him know of his predicament. Genji very reluctantly moves back enough to let Hanzo catch his breath. At that moment Hanzo’s dragons return to him and so does his Sight, and he blinks and finds a watery-eyed Genji staring at him. There are many questions burning in his gaze.

“We’ve much to talk of, little brother,” Hanzo says simply.


	22. Family

Ashe leaves to return to Bob and their room at the inn to allow for Hanzo and Genji to reunite. Genji collects his payment for the job he just completed for the guild from Ana and insists on paying for Hanzo’s room at the inn. Hanzo admits it’s been paid for rather sheepishly, and when Genji insists that he and Hanzo catch up over a drink at the closest tavern, Hanzo declines.

“I’d rather sit and talk in a place much quieter for this conversation, if you don't mind,” Hanzo says, twining a loose thread of the serape around his finger. Considering the guild is full of those taking many jobs, including monster slayers, there’s likely to be some at the tavern too. For Jesse’s safety, Hanzo would rather not explain Jesse’s situation where prying ears may hear. “Somewhere private.”

“Oh, of course, Anija,” Genji gives Ana one last friendly wave before he ushers Hanzo out of the guildhall and back out onto the busy streets, leading Hanzo away from the bustling thoroughfare. “There’s a monastery in the city, and the monks have been kind enough to give me a place to stay there with them. Not only me but the others.”

“The others?” Hanzo perks up, hopeful, “You mean—“

“Our _people,_” Genji confirms, “Those who I could find at the very least. Some of them were on the same cart as you were, and they had no idea where you went after you escaped.”

Hanzo feels a weight lift off of his shoulders that he had no idea he’d been carrying this entire time. Those he had freed so long ago, at least some of them had made it out of the woods safely. Genji’s hand lands on Hanzo’s shoulder and gives a comforting pat that’s accompanied by a watery smile.

“I ran deeper into the woods,” Hanzo admits, “I’ve been there this entire time. I promise when we get to the monastery, I will explain more. I can tell you have… questions.”

Genji nods, looking sheepish himself. All along this walk, he’s been stealing glances at the heavy scarring around Hanzo’s eyes. He wonders if Genji can tell Hanzo has borrowed his dragon’s sight, and what it must look like to him. Though Ashe had said those not versed in the arcane wouldn’t be able to tell, the altered magic of the tincture is now tied heavily to Hanzo’s familial spirit guardians. Genji may be able to figure it out if it is not one of the questions Genji has.

Genji soon leads Hanzo into the courtyard of a humble monastery built of brick, and then inside. Hanzo once again is relieved to be out of the noise of the city, and his and Genji’s steps echo in the halls as they walk onward. There are monks that pass them by, and Genji catches one in particular and whispers urgently to them.

The monk Genji is conversing with is interesting. They are aglow with something arcane and yet something much warmer. Hanzo assumes they are a type of golem, only one much different than Bob. Thin and tall where Bob is tall and wide. They are dressed in simple robes, and there is a set of glowing dots in the centre of their forehead. Genji seems to remember Hanzo is present and introduces them as his Master, Zenyatta.

Before Hanzo can ask about Zenyatta, Genji grabs his arm and drags him further into the monastery excitedly. The monk moves the other way with just as much enthusiasm in his steps. Before long, Genji takes Hanzo into a room that’s been made up as a sort of hostel room. Not only for Genji but the others.

Hanzo is crowded immediately by so many of his people at once. Some clutch at him and weep, and he weeps alongside them. Some thank him too, for freeing them from the cart. There are so many questions being thrown at Hanzo that Genji has to tell them to back off and let Hanzo breathe. The small crowd disperses reluctantly, and Genji tugs the overwhelmed Hanzo deeper into the room.

There’s yet one more surprise waiting for him at the end of the room. Miss Emi, the lead housekeeper of Shimada Castle, speaks lowly and urgently into the ear of an elderly, regal woman. She’s turned away from Hanzo, staring out of a window that faces the streets. She needn’t turn for Hanzo to know who she is. His father’s great purple dragon rests at her feet, clear as day to Hanzo with his borrowed Sight. The dragon is curled up tight and their expression is blank with mourning.

“Mother?” Hanzo voices softly, rushing to her side.

Hanzo falls to his knees at the side of the chair where his mother sits, clutches at her arm. Genji follows suit and comes around to stand on the other side of their mother opposite Hanzo. Miss Emi drifts a few steps back to let the brothers visit with their mother, but her expression is one of deep sorrow.

Shimada Kimiko doesn’t even stir. She sits tall and proud in the chair and stares blankly out the window. Her gaze is unseeing, she doesn’t even seem to be watching anything that lays beyond the pane of glass she’s sat before. Hanzo looks worriedly over to Genji, who only shakes his head slowly.

“She’s been this way ever since the attack,” Genji responds, “She’ll eat what Miss Emi feeds her, but she’s not said a word. She hardly ever moves from this spot.”

“She’s grieving, as we all are,” Miss Emi moves forward and urges Hanzo aside so she can drape a blanket around Kimiko’s shoulders, “She will come back to herself in time. A broken heart needs much time to heal.”

Hanzo’s gaze is once drawn back to the form of his father’s purple dragon and finds that they have raised their head to peer at Hanzo curiously. Hanzo has no doubt in his mind that the fact that they are here at his mother’s side instead of his father’s means that his father is no longer of this world. He wonders if his mother knows, and that is why she is so despondent.

Hanzo absentmindedly reaches to pat his father’s dragon gently on the head to offer comfort to the heartbroken spirit, forgetting that they now permanently reside on two different planes of existence. The grief hits Hanzo then, and his hand curls into a fist and he sets it pointedly in his lap. He’d thought he’d ran out of tears to shed over his losses, and yet here they fall anew. 

Hanzo wishes Jesse was here to wrap him in his arms and hide Hanzo away, just until the grief lessens enough so he can breathe again. Instead, Hanzo feels Genji come to his side and kneel next to him, one arm coming around to tug Hanzo into a one-sided embrace.

“Let’s leave Mother to her thoughts,” Genji motions with his head to a corner away from the others, “You said we had lots to talk about, yeah? So let’s go talk.”

Hanzo nods numbly and lets Genji lead him away from their mother and the ever hovering Miss Emi. Genji lets Hanzo settle himself on a simple straw mattress while he himself sits next to it. Hanzo’s grateful that Genji lets him gather himself before the first of the questions is asked.

“Your eyes—“

“The slavers took my sight,” Hanzo interrupts, having anticipated this first question, “I will spare you the details.”

Genji nods, expression a complicated mix of anger and sorrow. He seems to consider something then, and his expression shifts into one of curiosity.

“Yet, I feel like at times you can see me,” Genji motions between himself and Hanzo, “Even now, your focus is on me. Though we are speaking, and you could just be guessing based on my voice.”

“I can, in a way, see you,” Hanzo pauses before he continues, pondering how to make Genji understand, “Or at least the reflection of you in the spirit realm where our guardians dwell. You’re actually one of the clearest reflections I can see. It might be because of your own dragon.”

“I cannot say I fully understand what you mean,” Genji admits, “but I am glad that you’ve adapted your unfortunate circumstance into your favour.”

“As you have done, it seems,” Hanzo looks about the space, to the fuzzy forms of the other survivors on the other side of the room and then back to Genji, “The headmistress of the guild seems to know you very well.”

“Ana has need of swordsmen for hire often,” Genji shrugs, “I’ve taken as many jobs as she’ll give me, mostly to help the monks acquire the food to feed all of us. I _was_ saving some gold in order to get means to enter the forest to search for you. Had to find something so I could go without falling victim to whatever beast they say makes you go mad.”

Hanzo for the first time fails to hide his displeasure at the term _beast _used to describe Jesse. His lip curls in distaste, and Genji raises an eyebrow.

“Have I said something that brings you offence, Anija?”

“Yes and no, but only because I know you do not fully understand the situation.” Hanzo has to take another pause, mulling over the best place to start, deciding to jump right into the deep end. “That so-called beast in the woods is no beast. He’s a man under a very cruel curse that gave him a monstrous form. His name is Jesse, and he’s actually very sweet.”

Genji is silent, blinking at Hanzo before he gives his brother an odd look, “The beast’s name is Jesse?”

“I would very much like it if you stopped calling him a beast,” Hanzo lets his dislike show plain again, scrunching his nose this time, “Jesse saved my life, show him the respect he is due.'

Genji just lifts his hands and shrugs, “Jesse then. He saved you?”

Hanzo spins the tale of the past months to Genji, of his escape of the slavers, and how they had met their ends to Jesse’s curse. How Jesse had nursed him back to health, had given him the confidence to learn to live again after all that had been taken from him. Hanzo explains Jesse’s promise to help him traverse the world again as independently as possible so he could come to find Genji. Weaves the events of meeting the Nymphs of both the Shadowed Glade and the Crystal Pools in order to gain possession of the tincture.

Hanzo pulls it out of his bag then and hands it over to Genji. Explaining how he and his dragons had bent the magic to their will so Hanzo may peer beyond the veil. So he could see Jesse.

“Jesse is…” Hanzo’s cheeks grow hot, and he ducks his head to avoid Genji’s gaze and possibly judgment, “Jesse is very dear to me, and he has done much for me. I wish to return the favour tenfold. I wish to free him of his curse.”

Genji’s swirling the remaining dose of the tincture and giving Hanzo a long, knowing look. When Hanzo huffs indignantly, Genji’s eyebrow raises and he dips his chin a little to give Hanzo an even more pointed look.

“Fine,” Hanzo huffs, lifting his head, stubborn and prideful, “I wish to free Jesse of his curse so he and I can be together. So we can both start over somewhere new, far away from the bad memories that haunt us both. Together.” Hanzo’s shoulders slump, and he casts a pleading look Genji’s way, “But if I am to achieve this, I need your help, Genji. I need your help to kill the Witch.”

“My help?” Genji’s eyebrows lift again to the point where they’re almost to his hairline, “I’m not entirely sure how I am to help you two if your boyfriend drives people to madness.”

“You said yourself that you were looking for a means to enter the forest yourself to prevent the madness of the curse.” Hanzo motions to the tincture, “Which I have provided.”

“Yeah, sure,” Genji jabs Hanzo's shoulder pointedly, “but I was going initially to look for _you._ And here you are before me.”

“Will you help me or not?” Hanzo barks, narrowing his eyes at Genji.

“Look,” Genji crosses his arms, “This Jesse means much to you, that I can tell. So I ask you to give me time to consider, and time to make sure our people are provided for if I do come with you. Besides,” Genji pointedly flicks the arch of Hanzo’s bow, “How do you expect to face this Witch with just this? You told me that she seems to control the roots of the trees to attack. I don’t doubt your skill, Hanzo, but I doubt that simple arrows will slow her down.”

Hanzo opens his mouth to retort but then closes it. Genji has a point. He slumps forward with a defeated sigh, and Genji reaches and pats his shoulder gently.

“You didn’t think _that_ far ahead, did you?” Genji asks gently.

“I thought I would have more time to think while I was searching for you, to plan how to face her.” Hanzo admits, “I do have other allies to help us but… My involvement with Jesse has angered her immensely, and she chased me from his side. Even with you and the others, I don’t doubt that she’ll target me.”

“Then you need another weapon to help fend her off,” Genji advises, scratching at his chin, “I know people at the guild who have contact with weapons traders, that’s how I relocated my own blade, as well as a few more of our ancestral weapons.”

“What?!” Hanzo lifts his head and looks at Genji shocked.

“Those bastards that raided us raided _everything_,” Genji’s expression turns mournful, and both brothers share a moment to mourn their loss before he continues, “The weapons they stole they sold. I’ve not recovered any of Father’s, but I did recover Mother’s naginata and a few other pieces.” Genji shakes his head, “My point is, we could either look for your own sword or we could perhaps even get one commissioned for you.”

“That would take time that I do not wish to waste,” Hanzo starts, “Jes—“

“Jesse seems to have waited many years in that forest,” Genji says not unkindly, “I doubt a month or two will make much difference to him. Besides, at the end of all this, if he cares for you as much as you say, I think he’d rather have you well and alive than his freedom.”

“He would,” Hanzo agrees.

At that moment the brother’s conversation is interrupted by the door to the room opening. The same monk that Genji had conversed with earlier, who’s name is Zenyatta if Hanzo recalls correctly, enters and bows before he strides up to the brothers.

“Greetings,” he greets, and his voice sounds nothing like how Hanzo would assume. Zenyatta’s cadence is soothing, almost melodic. “Genji requested that we make a meal in celebration of your reunion.”

“Oh, thank you.” Hanzo didn’t even realize he’s not eaten for some time, and he can hardly recall if he ate lunch.

“We can continue this conversation later, Hanzo,” Genji says as he gives Hanzo a reassuring nod, “But tonight, let's just celebrate our good fortune.”

Hanzo nods and follows behind Genji and Zenyatta. The others are also motioned to follow to partake in the meal. Miss Emi seems hesitant as the brothers and the others disappear from the room. The old housekeep startles when there is a gentle touch to her hand.

She turns and locks eyes with Kimiko, who simply nods to her. Miss Emi nods and bows to her lady before she offers her arm to help Kimiko from her chair. Kimiko takes the offered aid, but to Miss Emi’s surprise, she moves forward on her own to move from the room as well. Miss Emi hastily follows after her lady, trying to match her quick and determined stride


	23. A Storm and A Season

Hanzo stayed with his people and his family in the monastery that night. The monks provided him with an extra straw mattress to sleep on. Ashe did come by the next morning to check on him, and it is here now that they all sit in the courtyard of the monastery as they speak of their future plans.

In the end, they do end up deciding that it would be best for Hanzo to get some other form of weapon to protect himself from the Witch. Ashe even offers to scrounge up some money and materials to make talismans that would protect them all from the Witch’s magic, as well as for her own means to stave off Jesse’s curse. Genji wishes to do some more jobs around the city in order to provide for his and Hanzo’s people and see if he can earn enough coin to help Hanzo purchase a weapon.

Until they are ready to depart, Hanzo’s not entirely sure what to do with himself but wait and train, so he does. He develops a routine over the next week. At sunrise, he moves to the courtyard to train. Good thing too, he hadn’t realized how out of practice he is. Sometimes he’s joined by Zenyatta, who offers to teach Hanzo some of the style of martial art he himself knows. Sometimes Genji joins him, helping Hanzo with his katas.

Genji even lets Hanzo borrow his sword when he does not need it. While the blade is definitely balanced for Genji’s use, it feels good to practice the katas again in general.

After training, Hanzo helps around the monastery best that he can. Doing the chores helps pass the time until lunch where Hanzo helps serve the food to his people. After they all have their portions, Hanzo takes his own and his mother’s and often goes back to the room where they all stay to eat at her side.

She still says nothing, but Hanzo’s noticed that she’s been slowly warming up. Sometimes he finds her staring at him. A week into this routine, she even reaches over and places her hand on Hanzo’s shoulder. Hanzo had to set his bowl aside as he held his mother’s hand and wept.

He decides to tell her about Jesse, even though he’s certain she knows about his predicament and Hanzo’s plan to help him. The hostel room the monks provided has enough space to house them all comfortably, but it does not provide much for privacy. Hanzo feels that everyone knows of where he was, who Jesse is to him, and what he desires to set out to do.

He hopes that when they all can meet Jesse in person that they will welcome him with open arms. Hanzo only expresses that wish to his mother after telling her about how he used to brush out Jesse’s mane as he read to him. When he looks up to her, he finds her staring back out the window with a soft, sad smile and tears falling down her face.

Even his father’s dragon is more lively as this routine continues. After two weeks the great purple dragon no longer sits at Kimiko’s feet and mourns, sometimes they wander the monastery with interest. Sometimes they're not even present in the monastery at all. They always return to her though, sometimes their head is laid in Kimiko’s lap, eyes closed and expression content.

Hanzo wonders if his mother can sense her husband’s dragon close by. Sometimes it seems like she can, as she often twitches her hands where they rest on the arms of the chair as if desiring to lift them and stroke the dragon’s head like one would pet a beloved cat.

He doesn’t know what prompts him to tell her, but one day he does. Hanzo sets his hand on his mother’s knee, next to where the purple dragon rests their chin and gives his mother a reassuring pat.

“You’ve got a visitor, Mother,” Hanzo starts, “I don’t know if you know this but, Father’s dragon is here, next to you.”

“I know.”

Her voice is rough, likely from being unused so long, and she turns her gaze to the stunned Hanzo. There’s such deep sorrow in her eyes, and her face breaks under the weight of it and the first tears fall. Silent at first, but then she draws in a ragged gasp and curls forward in her chair. Hanzo reaches for her immediately, curls around her and holds her as she violently weeps.

And it is by all means _violent_. Kimiko reaches a point eventually where her sorrow melts to heartbroken rage and she screams and curses. Rages and thrashes as if she herself is a storm. Unnatural wind whips around the space, sending anything not heavy enough to withstand the maelstrom flying.

Only Hanzo is privy to the raging form of the purple dragon, their own mourning as deep as Kimiko’s. They are the one kicking up the wind as they thrash in their grief, writhing in agony as if they are in death throes.

Hanzo wonders for the first time what they must be feeling. What they had felt when his father had passed from this world and they were cut off from their master. Have they been holding in this pain this entire time as Kimiko has?

Hanzo clutches to his mother tighter, shielding her from the winds. He turns into himself and reaches for his own dragons, urging them to go to the great purple dragon. Hanzo’s sight fades as his own guardians leave to comfort the other, and the wind and his mother’s agonized wails seem so much louder in the space. Hanzo’s own tears are carried off in the winds.

Eventually, the winds recede and the noise dies down, and Hanzo can hear the creak of the door and cautious footsteps approach. He knows it is Genji when a pair of strong arms wrap around them both. Kimiko wiggles from the hold, but it is only to wrap her arms around her sons. Together they weep over the loss of Sojiro, weep for the loss of the husband and father they’ve lost.

After that day, Kimiko does not sit in that chair again.

The summer drags on, Hanzo trains, and Ashe works to prepare what she needs for her own means of fighting with the Witch. Hanzo’s not entirely sure if they’ll make it back to Jesse at this rate. The thought of his beloved spending a winter alone makes his heartache.

His mother seems to understand his anxieties, and often she accompanies him in the courtyard where he trains. One day, she comes to him with two staffs of wood, each with one end wrapped with heavy fabric. Miss Emi trails behind here with a pitcher of water and two cups. Kimiko throws the longer of the staffs she carries Hanzo’s way and at his confused look, she explains.

“None of the smiths here can forge our weapons, and I know your heart grows sick the longer you are away from your Jesse,” Kimiko says, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail with a length of golden silk. She’s wearing loose robes too, likely provided by the monks. Hanzo doesn’t understand what’s fully happening until his mother takes a position next to him and falls seamlessly into a stance, brandishing her makeshift practice naginata. “I taught you how to use the bow when you were a babe, now I teach you the art of the naginata as a man.”

Hanzo’s stunned expression falls into one of determination, and he mirrors Kimiko’s stance. Through the morning, right up until lunch, Kimiko takes Hanzo through the katas for the naginata. The cloth she’s wrapped around the end will help Hanzo adjust to the weight of an actual blade she informs him when he asks, and then promptly uses her own practice naginata to strike at Hanzo’s stance to correct it.

The training goes on for several more weeks. The heat of the summer fade and the leaves begin to turn slowly into vibrant warm shades of scarlets and golds. Hanzo’s advanced from merely doing katas to sparring with his mother, and sometimes even Genji.

One morning, Miss Emi follows them out into the courtyard as she usually does to accompany the Lady Shimada. Today though, she carries a long, ornate box with her. Only when they begin to head inside that Miss Emi approaches with the box. The former housekeep of Shimada Castle hands it off to Kimiko, who turns and presents it to her son. Hanzo has a feeling he knows what it is, and he opens the box with a mix of sorrow and joy.

Inside is his mother’s own naginata, the shaft resized for his own height. Hanzo takes it reverently in his hands and bows to his mother. She bows to him in return. There are as many emotions storming in her eyes as there is in Hanzo’s.

Sojiro had gifted Kimiko this naginata, after all. It must have pained her greatly to have it altered.

Hanzo places the naginata back into the box gently and then immediately, and awkwardly because the box still between them, pulls his mother into a hug. Kimiko pats Hanzo’s back and when she pulls away she motions for him to take his gift.

“I will wield it with pride.” Hanzo takes the box and bows to his mother, “I cannot think of any other way to express my gratitude.”

“Thank me by bringing Jesse back so I may meet the man who holds my son’s heart and welcome him into our family,” Kimiko says warmly, “I am already so proud of the men my sons have become.”

Hanzo nods. Together he, his mother and Miss Emi enter back into the monastery for lunch. After lunch, Genji returns to the monastery after running an errand for Zenyatta. Hanzo has returned to the courtyard to practise the katas with the naginata, to get used to the wait. Genji finds him there and perches on the stone lip of a crumbling fountain.

“I see that a weapon was given to you,” Genji states simply. It’s clear from his face that he understands from whom Hanzo received it. “I am sorry I could not recover your own blade or your bow.”

“It is fine,” Hanzo grunts as he does one final horizontal slice through the air before he relaxes out of his stance, “You had much more on your plate than to scour the globe for lost weapons and treasures. It is because of you that the survivors that remain here have shelter and food.”

“The shelter is mostly thanks to the monks,” Genji admits, going onto explain, “specifically Zenyatta for stepping in on a situation we had when we first came here.”

Hanzo tilts his head to the side and gives Genji a look, seeking further explanation.

“I tried to set us all up with an inn,” Genji begins, frowning, “but the inn keep did not want to take us in. Said he had no room for…” Genji hesitates, but there’s an echo of anger there before he seems to say decidedly a much kinder word than the one likely used, “…refugees.”

Hanzo’s own face scrunches in distaste and he crosses over to Genji and sits beside him. Genji just shakes his head.

“Zenyatta happened to be passing by.” a small smirk raises to Genji’s face, “He had some very choice words for that innkeeper. He then offered to escort me and the few others I had found by that time to the monastery. Said we could stay as long as we needed to get back on our feet.”

“That was kind of him.”

“He is very kind,” Genji replies, and there’s a lot more than simple admiration in his voice, but Hanzo does not point it out.

“I am thankful that you’ve done so much for our people,” Hanzo says instead, “They would still be lost to us if not for your efforts.”

“You would have done the same if you’d been able,” Genji says with a shrug, “it sounds like you had a lot of your own obstacles to overcome yourself.”

“With still more to come,” Hanzo sighs, moving his hand to come to rest over where the stone pendant of the sleeping dragon sits under his clothing, “it pains me to be away from Jesse, to not know that he’s safe. Or at least as safe as he can be.”

Genji nods slowly, reaches over and pats Hanzo back to comfort him, “He’ll be alright, Anija. You’re doing all you can to return to his side.”

“Some days it feels like it is not enough,” Hanzo admits to Genji.

“Trust that it will be.” Genji motions to the naginata, “You’re doing everything in your power to return to him, to make sure that you can achieve what you mean to do. And when you’re together again and free of the Witch, this will be a bad memory for you both to place behind you.”

Hanzo nods slowly in agreement. Genji grins then, a toothy grin at that.

“Plus, I’ll be out there with you!” Genji giving Hanzo’s shoulder a comforting squeeze, “I’ve made sure that our people have been cared for, and they’ve been provided with enough for how long we’d be gone.”

Hanzo carefully sets the naginata down before he pulls his brother into a bone-crushing hug, thanking him quietly. Genji huffs but he gives Hanzo a comforting pat on his back before the brother’s part.

“Jesse really did a number on your cold, cold heart,” Genji teases, “I can never remember you being so willing to give your baby brother a hug.”

“He’s been good to me and good for me,” Hanzo admits, smiling softly, “I am excited for you to meet him.”

“I’ll keep my brotherly teasing to a minimum until your Jesse understands my specific Genji charms and sense of humour,” Genji promises with a Cheshire grin, “you have my word.”

Hanzo’s flat look has Genji bursting into laughter. It’s contagious because Hanzo cannot even last thirty seconds before he has to turn his head aside to hide his smile. He’s missed his little brother terribly. Genji eventually hops up off of the side of the fountain and motions for Hanzo to stand too.

“Why don’t we practice together so you can wield that thing against something more challenging than air,” Genji says with a grin, “If I win, you’ll buy me one of those little sweet rolls from the bakery.”

“If the victory is mine, you will purchase me one of those little strawberry cakes you brought back the other day.”

“Deal!”

The brothers spend the rest of the evening until supper sparring. The courtyard is alive with their laughter and friendly taunts, and the only other sound is the wind through the leaves that are slowly turning gold in the late autumn air.


	24. Final Preparations

With Genji on board there’s little else to do but wait for the final preparations to be completed. Ashe has already worked through how she herself will prevent the curse by means of a special spell she had to learn from one of the mages in the city. She’s even finished the talismans that will help deflect ill-intentioned spells should the Witch attempt to curse them too.

Hanzo’s of course has got the last dose of the tincture for Genji. He tries his best to explain what he and his dragons had done to bend the sight it grants to their will. Hanzo can see with his own Sight that Genji’s own dragon is listening intently, her ears perked and attentive as she listens. It makes him snort a little bit because it’s a bit of a funny expression on her.

Genji agrees to go through with the tincture route. The only other options available to him are other potions that are incredibly expensive or spells that are almost as expensive to hire a mage to cast. Well, that and apparently having a spirit guardian makes mages nervous and unwilling to cast spells on people. Even Ashe is reluctant to offer the same spell she will use to Genji, afraid his dragon’s presence may alter it with unintentional side effects. She also admits that it’ll be tough to focus on one spell on herself, let alone another cast on a second person.

That leaves them waiting for the full moon to rise to perform the tincture’s rite. It makes Hanzo anxious to have to wait idly for the moon, and it shows. Now he finds himself pacing the monastery at night, keeping an eye on the moon’s bright face in the night sky. Eventually the full moon rises, huge and orange. A harvest moon.

Hanzo has to converse with Ashe and Genji quietly before they set out to complete the tincture. Worried that the harvest moon will have an adverse effect on the tincture’s use.

“I don’t rightly think it will have an adverse effect an' turn it into somethin’ bad,” Ashe muses, “Might be the opposite. The harvest season is for reapin’ what you’ve sown, it might be a good omen for your brother here. An’ one for us for that matter. I’d be more concerned if it were a blood moon.”

Genji grins at Hanzo and elbows him, “A good omen, Anija!”

“We need as many of those as we can get,” Hanzo admits, relieved, “Are you prepared to do this, Genji?”

Genji nods determinedly and gives Hanzo a big Cheshire grin. The brothers wait and talk in the courtyard after Ashe leaves them for the night. Genji mostly fidgets as they wait for the midnight hour to encroach. Eventually, Zenyatta joins them, and he comes to sit on the crumbling fountain next to them both.

“Come to watch the proceedings, Master?” Genji asks brightly.

“I find that I am intrigued by what you mean to do, so yes, I have come to watch. If you do not mind of course,” Zenyatta replies, “I also mean to perhaps provide some comfort to you as well. Your brother Hanzo said that this process can be painful.”

“Oh, of course, I do not mind at all!” Genji seems genuinely flustered for once in his life, “Thank you, Master. I appreciate your concern.”

Hanzo watches this entire exchange with a raised eyebrow but does not comment. He can save the brotherly teasing he’s due for later, anyway. Right now there are much more pressing matters. The harvest moon is rising higher and higher in the sky slowly. Hanzo’s been watching it as well as the little motes of light that seem to be gathering in the spirit realm.

Sometimes they pass close enough to Hanzo that they are not just motes of light but actual forms of people. They don’t seem to be able to see him as he can see them though. Likely for the best.

Finally, it is midnight, the hour tolled on the clock tower in the distance. Zenyatta has brought out the strange orbs that sometimes float about his neck, and when Genji and Hanzo begin the ritual for the tincture, Zenyatta begins his own soft chant. Those orbs begin to chime soothingly, and Hanzo can’t help but feel a sudden sense of calm come over him. Genji must be feeling the same. It’s a warm sensation. Comforting.

So much so that Genji doesn’t even hiss when the icy tincture is applied to his eyes. Hanzo’s thankful that whatever it is Zenyatta is doing is saving Genji from that sensation of ice shards. When Hanzo looks up to him it’s like Zenyatta is softly aglow in the realm of spirits, pulsing out soothing light. All the lingering souls wandering seem drawn to him unbeknownst to the monk.

Before long the clock tower in the distance chimes one in the morning and Genji is blinking in surprise at his surroundings.

“Whoa, everything is likely weirdly foggy,” Genji says as he scrunches his nose. He turns to Hanzo and jumps in surprise, “Your eyes! I can see them better!”

“Better?” Hanzo turns his attention from Zenyatta to face Genji, and also nearly jumps out of his skin.

It’s just so strange to see a dragon’s eyes where there should definitely be human eyes.

Genji’s attention has already moved on while Hanzo ponders what his own eyes must look like. When Hanzo finally looks to his brother once again, he only finds Genji staring at Zenyatta. He seems reverently entranced. Hanzo’s received a look similar before, a fleeting one Jesse stole many times their last night together.

He wishes his little brother all the best and smiles privately to himself as he excuses himself from the courtyard for the night. He wanders back through the monastery and to the room where he and his people have been set up. His mother is still awake, and Hanzo decides that until he feels tired enough to sleep he will keep her company.

When the morning comes Kimiko wakes Hanzo before breakfast, gently shaking her eldest son awake. When he sits up Kimiko merely smiles softly, and in her hands is her own length of golden silk. She’s brought basic grooming supplies with her too.

“I know that you and your brother will be departing soon,” Kimiko begins, handing the gold hair scarf to Hanzo, who curls the silk in his hands, “I thought I would help you with a few more things before you go. It might make you feel better, I know there are still some things you’re having trouble with.”

His mother’s wispy face in the spirit realm is focused on Hanzo’s face. Her eyes are pained as she looks to his ruined eyes hidden beneath his bangs. Hanzo idly reaches his hand to grasp at the long wisps of his hair that are hanging in front of his eyes. His hair is indeed far longer than he’s worn it since his youth, but quite frankly he’s not noticed it until now.

Besides, it hides the damage to his eyes.

“I didn’t think much of it, I suppose I just didn’t consider my hair to be in my way.” Hanzo answers honestly, “Besides, it is likely for the best.”

Kimiko just gently places her hand on Hanzo’s shoulder, “The scars pain you, I can tell, and I know they remind you of all you’ve lost. But you are _here_, Hanzo. You’re here and you are thriving even after all you’ve endured. Do not feel shame over your scars, Hanzo, they are the results of battles you’ve survived.”

Kimiko reaches gently and slowly, pulling the hair from Hanzo’s face. At first Hanzo flinches away, unwilling for his mother to fully see the extent of his injuries. She just coos to him gently, soft encouragements and comforting words Hanzo’s not heard since he was a babe and injured by a snapped bowstring.

Eventually he relaxes enough to let his mother fuss with his hair, frowning when the brush she brought with her snags on tangles left far too long. Kimiko has to move behind Hanzo to gather his hair up in her hands once its brushed through, pulling the inky strands up into a high ponytail. She then takes the gold silk from Hanzo, using it to tie Hanzo’s hair up. He can feel the ends of both his hair and the scarf settle at his back when she lets go.

One of Hanzo’s bangs has been left hanging loose, and his mother comes back aground to his front to check her handiwork. Kimiko gives a slight nod, pleased, and a warm smile comes to her lips.

“I’m sure Jesse will be glad to fully see your face again,” Kimiko teases.

Hanzo huffs, embarrassed, but he can’t help but smile himself. He rubs at his own chin and sheepishly admits he’d appreciate help tidying his beard. Hanzo doubts that there is a mirror anywhere here for him to do it himself. He doesn’t even know if a mirror on the physical plane would work in the realm of spirits.

Before long Hanzo’s beard is tidied and the rest of the group is gathered up. Ashe meets Genji and Hanzo at the monastery with their horse and cart. Bob occupies much of the cart with some supplies that Ashe managed to scrounge up for their trip back. Genji happily hops in and introduces himself to Bob, who blinks slowly, pleased.

Kimiko hangs by to send her sons off. She steps up to the cart and gently and fondly scolds Genji, pride evident in her whole demeanour. She then turns to Hanzo and gathers him in her arms, patting his back gently.  
  
“Bring him home safely,” Kimiko says as she pulls away from the hug, “and make sure you are careful and you look out for your brother out there.”

“I will, mother,” Hanzo replies with a nod. Before they can leave though, the monastery door swings open and Zenyatta steps out. He’s got his own supplies in a bag over his shoulder it seems, and those glowing orbs floating around his neck. Genji perks immediately and Hanzo tilts his head in confusion.

“I hope you do not mind one more joining you on your journey,” Zenyatta says, voice cheery, “Genji admitted that my skills would prove useful in the battle you are all walking into. I have skills in the healing arts if any of you get injured.”

“That would be incredibly useful,” Hanzo says, bowing to the monk, “thank you, Zenyatta. I appreciate your help, and so will Jesse.”

“I look forwards to meeting him.”

After that there is one last goodbye between Hanzo and Genji and Kimiko. Zenyatta settles into the cart next to Genji, and Hanzo moves to take the other seat upfront with Ashe. She tips her hat to Kimiko as her own means of goodbye and then spurs the horses onward.

Hanzo looks back to the form of his mother standing on the steps of the monastery until her wispy form fades too much into the purple hues of the spirit realm. He then turns to face forward in his seat, reaching his hand up under the serape to take the stone pendant Jesse carved him in hand. Hanzo closes his eyes and breathes deep to calm the anxieties swirling in his heart. He thinks of Jesse, and what lays in his path to free him.

_Just a bit longer, my Heart. I’ll be with you soon._


	25. Into the Woods

The closer that Hanzo gets to seeing Jesse again, the antsier he becomes. The entire ride back around the woods Hanzo can’t stop glancing at the dense trees as they pass by, hoping by some chance that Jesse would appear at the tree line. Just a glimpse of him so Hanzo knows he’s alright.

It’s a fruitless wish, the area Jesse lives is much closer to the edge of the woods they are slowly making their way towards. Hanzo runs the plan he and his fellow travellers have made through his head to distract himself on the journey back. They need to find Jesse, make sure he’s safe, and then enter the deeper, darker area of the woods to find the Witch and kill her.

Ashe even has prepared some extra talismans and wards to keep Jesse safe while the four of them go challenge the Witch. Just in case she attempts to use or harm Jesse. The thought of Jesse suffering more at the Witch’s hands makes Hanzo furious, and he has nothing else to do to work off his agitation is practice more with his naginata when they make camp.

The second and last day of travel seems to go on far longer, time itself seemingly coming to a crawl. Genji often has to reach over and gently pat Hanzo’s shoulder to reassure him. Hanzo’s nervousness and agitation are spooking the horses, and it does not help himself in the long run.

Eventually, the cart is curling around the edge of the woods in the later afternoon, and Hanzo recognizes the area where he exited the woods when the Witch had chased him out. He informs Ashe, and she urges the horses faster, and soon they reach the spot. Hanzo hops off the cart and approaches the tree line, and closes his eyes.

His brows furrow and he listens harder, trying to look for the noises he seeks under the sounds of his companions moving their own gear off the cart. Hanzo eventually has to hush them so he can concentrate.

Even if there is a breeze, there is no sound of the leaves being rustled, no birdsong. No distant sound of frog calls. Hanzo opens his eyes and frowns deeply, studying the tree line. It doesn’t look out of sorts to him, even with his dragon’s sight.

Yet Hanzo can’t shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong.

“She’s done something,” Hanzo says loud enough for his companions to hear as they walk up to him, “I feel it.”

“What do you feel?” Zenyatta asks as he steps up beside Hanzo.

“It feels,” Hanzo tries to find the words, “It feels cold. Dead, like life no longer exists here. Sounds like it too. There’s just… nothing.”

Hanzo looks up to the canopy of the trees, where the dead leaves still cling to the branches. They’re hanging limp, and the leaves are black. Hanzo not only fears for Jesse now but for the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade and all she overlooked. Somehow, Hanzo feels like a different battle had taken place while he was away, and The Shadow’d Lady had lost.

“We need to change up our plans,” Hanzo backs away from the tree line, “We need to find the Nymph who resides in the woods, or else I fear we will stand no chance without her aid.”

“D’ya even know which way her glade is?” Ashe asks, her hands moving in strange complex patterns as she focuses on the spell she’s casting.

“No,” Hanzo admits, turning to look at her. Well, not at her, the arcane energy Ashe’s conjuring is vibrant and stark against the purpled hues of the spirit realm, and Hanzo has to look past it to avoid hurting his eyes. He continues, “But Jesse does, he could show us the way.”

So much for Hanzo involving Jesse as little as possible during this venture.

“So we find Jesse and we go see what’s happened to the Nymph.” Genji motions towards the woods, “You know the way to the grove you spoke of from here?”

“I…” Hanzo takes a deep breath and turns to Genji, “If I can find the frog pond, Jesse made me paths of flat river stones, and there’s a path from the pond to the pine grove. I’ll know the way once we find the pond.”

Genji nods, and behind him Ashe finishes her spell. Her eyes alight with an eerie red glow, and she seems to be ready. Zenyatta also gives Hanzo a slight nod, waiting. Bob himself has finished prepping their camping gear into a makeshift rucksack on his back. Since they’re close to the town where they got the horse and cart in the first place, they simply set them loose in the direction of the town.

Hanzo just looks over his friends and family and nods, and together they step into the woods.

It’s worse on the inside as the five of them step deeper in. The air is cold as if the cold death of winter has come early and grasped the entire forest. There’s not even the sweet musky decay of the autumn season. Just nothing. It brings Hanzo unease. It brings him more unease when they continue in deeper and nothing stirs. Even those happy motes of light Hanzo sees in the spirit realm are not present.

Surely the Witch knows they are here, and yet nothing rises to impede their progress. Eventually they all reach the frog pond as Hanzo finishes retracing the steps of the mad dash Jesse and Hanzo had made that day.

“We’re close,” Hanzo says aloud.

There’s no relief in his heart at the realization though. The uneasiness has not lifted, and his dragons also feel it. He can tell his companions feel it. Ashe keeps chewing her lip and sticking close to Bob and Genji’s hand has not left the hilt of his katana. Zenyatta is the only one who seems to be taking this whole thing with stride. Hanzo ponders briefly if the monk even knows fear at all.

Hanzo’s hand falls to the shaft of his naginata, and he keeps a hold of it as he advances slowly. There’s destruction around the clearing, evidence left of the chase the Witch had given that day, marring the clearing where Hanzo and Jesse had shared an evening of passion and love. A few trees are cracked in half and some are torn out of the ground entirely. It undeniably the same clearing though, the frog pond is here.

Jesse’s claw marks leftover as a result of Hanzo’s affectionate teasing are still dug into the dirt of the clearing too. Hanzo can’t help but move to the marks and spread his fingers and trace the claws left by Jesse’s much larger hand with fondness. Hanzo raises to his feet, more determined to see Jesse again than before.

Hanzo spots an opening in the trees that remain standing on the edges of the clearing. He points it out to the others and goes to investigate. Genji falls into step beside him to provide back up. At first it doesn’t look too promising, but Hanzo’s dragons whisper at the back of his mind and he cautiously steps further past the opening and onto a nearly overgrown path.

The flat river stones Jesse’s left to help Hanzo find his way are still here, if a little buried under the dead leaves that have fallen. Hanzo points the stones out to Genji and calls to the others, pushing through the foliage to follow the path. Hanzo wracks his brain to recall what Jesse had told him about the paths.

They should be five feet apart, and there should be eighteen stones from the frog pond to the stone compass Jesse made him, and then from there only five stones to the pine grove. Hanzo counts them down as he finds the stones, his pace increasing from a brisk but cautious stride into a run. His unease fuels him to move faster, wanting to know if Jesse is okay, if he is safe and well.

The others have no choice but to match pace with Hanzo. Genji follows close behind with Zenyatta keeping up with him, and after them both it is Ashe. Bob brings up the rear, as his huge rocky form does not lend much to speed.

Hanzo loses them briefly when he goes into a full sprint over the last few stones. The stone compass should be coming into his view any moment, and from there they can and the pine grove. Hanzo pushes himself as fast as possible over the fourth last stone, then the third, then the second…

When he hits the last of the stones Hanzo nearly trips over it as he comes to a stop on the path. Disbelieving, Hanzo walks forward to the stone compass. The stone compass Hanzo knew had been broken into pieces before to point the way, but now it’s uprooted completely and shattered, pieces tossed about the forest floor. Torn up from underneath, the dirt overturned like something had burst from it to cause this destruction. 

The others have finally caught up when Hanzo has located the carved stone that signified the direction of the pine grove amidst the debris. The topographic carving of the dragon. Hanzo runs his fingers over the scales carved into the stone from the tail right to the clean break where the dragon’s head should be.

“Anija…” Genji starts softly, approaching Hanzo.

Hanzo abruptly stands and turns to him, his voice rough with emotion, “We need to find Jesse. Now.”

The others nod in agreement. Genji gently reaches over and places a hand on Hanzo’s shoulder to comfort him. Hanzo gives Genji a nod in return and turns to look for the path to the pine grove. He closes his eyes and sniffs the air, hoping that at least the scent of pine lingers still. It doesn’t.

Hanzo curses softly before he thinks harder about what Jesse told him about the stone compass. The frog pond had been east, at least from the pine grove. Hanzo moves around to the spot where Jesse had stood with Hanzo, using the path to the frog pond to orientate himself. If it is east from where he’s standing now, then the path to the pine grove should be behind him.

“It’s this way,” Hanzo said and then turns immediately around to follow the path.

There are only five stones to follow between Hanzo and the pine grove. Between Hanzo and Jesse. Once again, Hanzo breaks into a run, and the others follow suit.

Hanzo enters the grove first, his run becoming a stunned, stuttered walk before he falls to his knees at the sight of the state of the grove. He doesn’t even hear the others join him in his shock.

The grove is completely destroyed.

The tall pines that had sheltered him and Jesse during the winter are nothing but their splintered trunks. All of Jesse’s gathered treasures he’d stolen from merchant carts are laying in broken, scattered pieces. Amidst it all, there is no sign of Jesse.

Genji kneels next to Hanzo, but he’s only vaguely aware of what his brother is saying. Ashe steps around them both with Bob in tow to survey the damage. Zenyatta joins Genji on Hanzo’s other side. The monk’s voice joins Genji’s to soothe Hanzo, and one of the orbs around Zenyatta’s neck begins to chime gently. It drifts to float next to Hanzo, finally bringing him out of his shock.

“We’ll find him, Anija,” Genji says as he stands and helps Hanzo up.

Ahead, Ashe and Bob are poking through the larger piles of debris. Large pieces of the pine trees have come to rest haphazardly around the space, and the warlock and her golem are poking around them especially. The piles are large enough for a creature of Jesse’s size to hide under if he’s injured. Hanzo moves to join them, with Genji and Zenyatta in tow.

Without warning, when Ashe prods at a certain pile a thorned, blackened vine whips out from under the pile of debris and wraps around her wrist. There’s an arcane flash as Ashe grabs the vine with an angered snarl and sets it alight, and it retreats back underneath the pile. She calls for Bob who moves to the side of his Mistress as he can just as a large mass of writhing branches and vines rises out from underneath the pile of debris.

It tries to whip at Ashe again but Bob places himself in front of her and intercepts, using the vine to throw the creature into another pile of debris. Ashe takes the opening to set that pile alight with a blast of arcane energy.

“The Witch… she set a trap for you,” Genji says as he draws his own katana.

“She knew I’d return for Jesse.” Hanzo snarls, more than furious, his mind turning over what he knows of the Witch and what her plans may be, “So she either chased him from here or _took him_, and left that _thing_ here.”

“Took,” Zenyatta states, pointing out drag marks in the dirt underneath their feet, “Your Jesse did not leave this place willingly.”

Hanzo turns to follow the direction of the drag marks. There’s four sets of claw marks that frame the drag marks as they head off into the woods between the arch of two bent trees. The trunks of which are clawed deeply by something that must have desperately tried to hold fast to them.

“Jesse,” Hanzo whispers, his heart aching.

The alight pile of debris is tossed asunder suddenly, the creature rising once more to its feet, now alight. It roars a horrific screech into the still air before it bends and the thorny vines and branches dig into the soil. Hanzo braces himself to leap out of the way of any roots that try to grab for his feet, but no rumbles from underground come.

Instead, the trees surrounding the grove crack and whine as thorned branches and vines wind around them, slowly creating a wall around the group to trap them. Ashe notices and her red lips curl into a snarl, and she sharply orders Bob to stop the creature while she herself begins to conjure a spell. Bob walks up to the creature and socks it in its approximation of a jaw.

“Y’all need to go!” Ashe growls towards the group, blasting the wall with a ball of fire.

When her spell does nothing to slow the vines down as they build a black thorny barricade she sends a spark of arcane energy to Hanzo’s feet, causing him to jump away and into action. Hanzo bolts for the arch made by the bent trees, since it is the only lead on Jesse he has. Genji and Zenyatta follow suit.

“What about you two?” Hanzo yells to Ashe, who’s slowly being surrounded by other branches and vines that are clearly being fed up being set alight.

“We’ll be fine! We can buy you some time!” Ashe calls back, her hands moving as she conjures more spells. She turns back to Hanzo with a wide, wild grin under her hat, her eyes aglow, “Say hello to that bastard Jesse for me an’ Bob when you find him, yeah?”

Hanzo nods and continues towards the archway of bent trees. Genji and Zenyatta have already made it through. Before he reaches the threshold, a flash of colour gives Hanzo pause. Strangely, growing from a knot in one of the trees is a vibrant purple bloom. Hanzo plucks it without thinking, and stares at it before Genji grasps his arm and pulls him through the threshold.

The thorned vines and branches complete their barricade at that point, cutting the group off from Ashe and Bob. Hanzo can’t even hear the noise of the arcane fire crackling anymore or Ashe’s shouts. When he turns around to look for Genji and Zenyatta, he is relieved they are still with him.

What doesn’t bring him comfort is that he does not recognize the area around them at all. It’s darker in this part of the woods, somehow even colder than the area previous. Hanzo pulls the serape tighter around him, tucking the purple bloom into his quiver on his belt as he does. His unease is immediately noticed by his brother, and Genji approaches him.

“What’s wrong?” Genji asks.

“I… I do not recall this area at all.” Hanzo admits, “I have no idea where we are.”

“This path is not one that comes from your grove?” At Genji’s question Hanzo shakes his head no. Genji seems unnerved, but he ducks his head briefly before he lifts it again, giving his brother a confident smile. “Well, it seems this Witch desires to play games. Let's show her no matter how much she cheats, we will not be dissuaded so easily.”

Hanzo wishes he shared Genji’s ability to make the best of the worst situation. Hanzo turns back towards the barricade of thorns and silently wishes Ashe and Bob luck. He then turns back to Genji and Zenyatta and nods to them. Together, they move forward on the path and deeper into the woods.


	26. In the Woods Somewhere

Hanzo, Genji and Zenyatta continue deeper and deeper into the woods. It gets to the point where Hanzo’s not entirely sure if they’re making progress at all, everything looks like the same dark, deep wood. Hanzo’s grip is tight around his naginata, wary of stepping into another trap the Witch may have set.

They keep looking for drag marks left by Jesse, or for more claw marks in the trees, but it seems like the Witch had sent them elsewhere with no such clues. Hanzo is trying to keep hopeful that he will find Jesse out here somewhere.

He needs to find the Nymph of the Shadowed Glade first if all of them are ever going to make it out of the woods alive. Sombra could provide invaluable help against the Witch, just like she did when the Witch had chased Hanzo out of the woods.

Just when it feels like the three of them have been wandering the paths for hours, Genji spots something up ahead. He places his arm across the path and motion with his chin. Ahead, off the path, there’s a large grey form. Both Hanzo and Genji ready their weapons and give each other a nod. Zenyatta readies himself behind the brothers as they cautiously make their way up the path.

Genji nearly draws his blade on the form when they come up to the grey form, but Hanzo stops him. With his dragon’s sight he recognizes the form. It’s Arturito, the big grizzly bear that belongs to the Nymph. He’s frozen in time, fangs bared as he fights off whatever did this to him.

Hanzo can’t help but reach up and sadly stroke the bear’s muzzle, and explains who Arturito was to Genji. His brother just sighs sadly, and lowers his katana.

“Shame, he could have lead us to your Nymph if the Witch had not gotten to him first.” Genji laments.

“He would have,” Hanzo says sadly.

He reaches up and gives Arturito’s muzzle one last gentle pat. He doesn't know what makes him think of the strange purple bloom that he plucked from the arch of bent trees, perhaps Arturito's loyalty to his mistress, but Hanzo takes the bloom from his quiver. Hanzo has to stretch a little to tuck the bloom behind one of Arturito’s ears.

He then bows to the bear. Genji and Zenyatta pay Arturito their own respects. However, before the three of them can turn fully away, they hear the noise of stone cracking, and Hanzo looks up startled as the bloom he placed grows roots and digs into the stone form of Arturito.

With his borrowed sight he can follow the route of the roots as they crack through the stone, soon shining too bright for both Hanzo and Genji to look at. The stone sloughs off the bear’s form, and soon Arturito snaps his jaws shut around air and swipes with his claws, following through on a battle that is no longer taking place.

Arturito realizes as much a second later, his large head whipping around, confused. Hanzo ponders if the bear himself had been transported from his Mistress’ side just as they had been transporting from Ashe and Bob’s. The grizzly promptly rocks back to sit up on his rump, regarding Hanzo warily and sniffing at him and the new people Hanzo has brought into the woods.

“It’s alright, Arturito,” Hanzo moves and after a cautious moment passes immediately ruffles Arturito’s thick fluffy fur before he rub’s the bear’s ears, mindful of the purple bloom still tucked behind the left, “That’s my brother, and his friend Zenyatta. We’re here to help.”

Arturito makes a soft, happy _raugh _and bumps his head into Hanzo’s chest. He rolls off of his rump to come to stand on his four legs, looking up at Hanzo with those big brown eyes.

“For us to help we need to find your Mistress, Arturito.” Hanzo leans down again to scratch behind the bear’s ears. “We need you to lead us to her.”

Arturito seems to understand. He looks from Hanzo and then up and down the path. The grizzly sniffs the air and grumbles deep before he starts trundling along up the path. Hanzo and Genji share a look before they both start following Arturito. Zenyatta follows, and seems highly amused by the appearance of Arturito.

Hanzo, Genji and Zenyatta follow behind Arturito for what seems like hours. It’s hard to tell if time passes in the woods at all, warped as they are. Arturito does dart off of the path suddenly at one point, and Hanzo and company follow suit. They’re not entirely sure what Arturito is doing until they hear cracking in the distance of trees being felled.

Hanzo and Genji hazard a glimpse of what could be making the noise, spotting in the distance another one of those huge masses of black branches and thorns heading down the path. The creature would have ran right into them had they stayed on the path. Hanzo silently rubs his hands through Arturito’s fur as they wait for the creature to slowly lumber by.

It is not the first creature to be patrolling the paths either, there are more the deeper into the woods they travel. Every time they are about to come across one though, Arturito helps them avoid engaging the creatures in combat by showing them somewhere safe to wait while the creature passes. They’re not very smart creatures, and Hanzo is thankful for that.

Eventually, they are starting to see differences in the areas of the woods Arturito helps them pass through. The paths are becoming less and less maze-like and more straight forward. After what feels like an eternity, the group comes upon another barricade of those black thorns. Arturito walks up to the wall and makes a low, mournful _raugh _before he sits himself down and looks back at Hanzo sadly.

“The glade must be beyond this wall,” Hanzo says as he prods at the entangled branches with his naginata, pulling the weapon away quickly when the vines suddenly begin to try to tangle around it and pull it from Hanzo’s grasp. Hanzo huffs, annoyed, “Cutting it is clearly not an option. I’m not entirely sure how we’re going to get through.”

Genji also prods at the wall with his katana, expression thoughtful. He also has to pull his weapon away from the wall before the wall tries to take it. Zenyatta is also seemingly studying the wall of thorns, his head tilted to the side. Zenyatta soon gently motions for the brothers to step aside. Hanzo has to coax Arturito aside as well.

Zenyatta begins to concentrate, those orbs floating around his neck beginning to glow brightly in Hanzo’s view. The orbs begin to vibrate with the energy they are housing. Suddenly Zenyatta unleashes it, the energy of the orbs piercing through the wall, and the vines and branches shudder and shriek at the impact. They retreat, revealing a space wide enough to get through, if they are quick enough.

Hanzo takes the opportunity, and so does Arturito. They both dart through the opening. Zenyatta does another round of the onslaught to keep the opening wide enough for himself and Genji to dart through. The wall closes behind them, leaving all three stranded inside another space that’s surrounded by the wall of thorns.

Only this time it is the Glade belonging to the Shadow’d Lady, and not the grove Hanzo and Jesse had shared. Hanzo certain of it. Though, speaking of the grove…

“Could you have not figured that out sooner?” Hanzo snaps, rounding on the monk, “Ashe and Bob would be with us still.”

“Miss Ashe and her companion bought us the time we needed to figure out such things, and we would likely still be in the grove right now fighting that creature if she did not give us the opening to slip away,” Zenyatta replies calmly, “You fear for her, and for your Jesse. You know not what else this game the Witch is playing with you will throw in your path. You’re entitled to your anger and fear, but do not let it cloud your thoughts. Your Jesse depends on you besting the Witch, which you cannot do unless you clear your head.”

Hanzo huffs and slowly closes his eyes, turning away. Zenyatta is right, Hanzo is no good to Jesse if he picks fights with those who are helping him to save his beloved. They need to find what has happened to Sombra and help her too. She must be around here somewhere.

Cautiously, the three move deeper into the glade. All the blooms that the Nymph had growing about the space are so dry under Hanzo’s feet they crunch, making them the only noise in this space aside from his and Genji’s breathing and the heavy steps of Arturito.

Hanzo himself follows behind the bear as Arturito shuffles and snuffles through the glade. Naturally, it’s Arturito who leads him right to Sombra. She too is frozen in stone, as is the ground and the flowers around her. There’s even a chunk clearly missing where no doubt Arturito was before he ended up elsewhere in the woods.

The Nymph’s face is frozen in an expression of anger, her arm outstretched towards the space Arturito had occupied. Perhaps it was she who had placed him elsewhere and not the Witch. Hanzo will have to thank her if it was indeed her.

He’ll start by freeing her.

Arturito is still wearing the purple bloom Hanzo had found, now realizing that it too was likely a gift from the Nymph. Hanzo approaches the statuesque form of Sombra and tucks the bloom in between where the stone strands of her hair create a space. Like before, the flower takes root in the stone, beginning to burrow underneath and crack the stone from Sombra’s form.

Eventually there is a bright flash of purple light and the nymph’s form frees itself from the stone in a flurry of purple petals. She rematerializes in front of Hanzo, scowling. One of her sharp, thorn-like nails pointing at him accusingly.

_“You,_” She snarls, “Do you have _any_ idea what you have done?”

“Angered the Witch,” Hanzo replies tersely, “I know. She’s taken Jesse.”

“She’s _taken_ the whole damn forest!” Sombra growls as she advances on Hanzo.

Suddenly she gasps in pain and folds in on herself. It’s only now that Hanzo notices how pale she looks as he helps her stand. Arturito immediately rubs against his mistress to help support her. Sombra leans more heavily on the bear than she does Hanzo, and he backs off when her preference of aid provider is made clearer by the scowl she sends him.

“You’re sick,” Hanzo observes aloud.

“No shit,” Sombra snaps, “this is what I get for helping you and Jesse.”

“I am sorry that you have suffered,” Hanzo says as he kneels next to Sombra, “But your aid has been invaluable and it’s because of you that we’ve even managed to come this far. You sent the flower, I know you did. Without it, Arturito and yourself would not be free.”

“Flower?” Sombra says, confused.

Hanzo points out the violet bloom in her hair, and Sombra plucks it from the strands carefully. In the low light, what Hanzo thought was a violet bloom shines iridescent purples and blues. Sombra’s face falls into an impossibly soft expression as she looks upon the flower.

“Satya,” She says so softly as she strokes the petals that Hanzo misses it entirely. Her gaze flicks back up to Hanzo as she more securely tucks the flower into her hair, “Look, I want to help, but I’m in no condition to confront the Witch at this time. I need to recover my strength.”

Hanzo hangs his head with a sigh. At this point Genji and Zenyatta have come up to the Nymph and Hanzo, their expressions grim. Sombra raises an eyebrow at their arrival and looks pointedly to Hanzo, who introduces them.

“We don’t think your awakening went unnoticed, My Lady,” Genji admits, “I heard more of those creatures shambling around outside of the thorn barricade.”

“Wonderful,” Sombra grouses, “I hate those things.”

“I might be able to help your plight, but I would need time to aid you, and you would need an open mind,” Zenyatta admits as he also comes to kneel next to Sombra.

“I’ll take all the help I can get.”

Zenyatta nods and starts his work. Hanzo in the meantime backs off to give him room to work. He ends up wandering back to the wall of thorns, finding it too encompassing the glade like it had circled the grove. Hanzo can hear what Genji heard beyond it, the creak of the shambling creatures.

Hanzo sighs and closes his eyes. His dragons brush up against his consciousness to soothe him. That’s when he hears it, a sound that he’s heard once before, what feels like a lifetime ago.

Out there, in the woods somewhere, a heartbeat. Jesse’s heart. Hanzo can hear it so clearly, calling out to him beyond the wall of thorns. Without thinking, Hanzo reaches for the thorns, brows furrowing when they start to pull away from him. Opening up to let him pass, creating a doorway of thorns that opens onto a much darker path.

The heartbeat is impossibly loud in Hanzo’s ears as he gazes into that dark forest pathway.

Hanzo tears his eyes away from the opening and glances back at the group. At Zenyatta tending to Sombra, and her gently petting Arturito as she listens to the monk. At Genji who hovers over them both protectively, his own hearing no doubt trained on the shambling throned creatures that are moving beyond the wall.

Hanzo knows then what he must do.

“Genji,” Hanzo calls out to him, motioning for his brother to come closer, “A moment.”

“What is it?” Genji asks as he comes closer, though his own face darkens when he sees the expression Hanzo wears, and the doorway behind him, “Hanzo, what are you—“

“You need to stay here, and make sure the Nymph and Zenyatta are protected,” Hanzo starts, “I will buy you the time Zenyatta needs to heal her, and then she can start healing the fore—“

“Absolutely not.” Genji starts, “There is no way in hell, I am not letting you go alone,”

“I won’t be alone.” Hanzo motions into the darkness beyond the opening, “She has Jesse, I know it. I can free him from whatever she’s conjured to keep him, and we’ll face her together.” Hanzo looks back into the darkness of the woods beyond the door, Jesse’s heartbeat steadily drumming in his ears. “It was always meant to be this way, me and Jesse against the Witch.”

“I can’t endanger you all anymore. Our people need you, Genji,” Hanzo turns back to his brother with a smile, eyes watery, “I’m so _proud _of you Genji.”

Genji’s face falls and he grabs at Hanzo’s sleeve. He only shakes his head no, and Genji tugs harder.

“Hanzo,” Genji grabs at him with both hands and tries to tug him back into the glade, “You know better. It’s a trap, she’s tried to catch you before, this time will be no different.”

“I know.” Hanzo admits, “Undoubtedly, it’s a trap. But I can’t let this go on any longer than it must. I can’t let Jesse suffer any longer. Please, Genji. Let me go.”

Genji looks pained, understandably. His entire face scrunches in an expression of sorrow, and next thing Hanzo knows is his little brother’s arms are wrapped around him tight. Hanzo clings back to Genji just as tight and pats his baby brother’s back.

“If you die I swear I’ll never forgive you.” Genji hisses through his emotions that threaten to choke his voice out.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Hanzo replies, voice equally rough, giving Genji one more squeeze before he parts from his brother, “Keep them safe.”

“I will. You keep yourself and your Jesse safe.”

Hanzo nods before he turns from Genji he gives his brother and his friends one last look before he enters the deep dark woods through the thorned gate. It closes up behind him, leaving Hanzo alone in the dark woods that are so cold he’s starting to see his breath. There’s no sound but the steady thrum of a heartbeat, and Hanzo steps further into the darkness to chase the sound, naginata at the ready.

Jesse is close, and so is the Witch.


	27. The Dark Was Opening Wide

Hanzo keeps walking into the dark. It’s so cold here as if Hanzo’s wandered out into the forest during the winter. The only thing missing is the sharp bite of winter air. Hanzo’s only idea of a direction is the steady thump of the heartbeat, somewhere ahead.

Just when Hanzo thinks he’s finally caught up to it, the sound of the heart seems to be coming from elsewhere, even farther away. It could very well be that Hanzo’s being toyed with, that thought has occurred to him. But there is nowhere else to go but towards the beat of Jesse’s heart.

So he walks deeper into the dark until at one point there is a point of light ahead, where the heartbeat comes from. It’s flickering and orange. Firelight? It makes Hanzo pause in the middle of the path, dread crawling up into this throat. His dragons share the same unease and sentiment. But Jesse’s heart is still beating steadily up ahead from the same direction as the firelight.

So Hanzo continues on, grip so tight on his naginata his knuckles are white.

The dread Hanzo feels becomes so heavy it feels like he’s suffocating. The closer he gets to the firelight the more that he can tell that it is indeed fire. It flickers, the light crawling up the path and dancing like claws that are trying to reach for Hanzo. His steps stutter a bit at the thought. The thought of Jesse keeps him from turning tail and retreating back into the dark.

If Hanzo has to face the flames to get to Jesse, he will.

He quickens his stride to walk right into the light, and the path opens up, right into a horrific, familiar sight. The sight of Hanamura burning, Hanzo’s people screaming and fleeing as they are either slain on the spot or dragged away onto the carts of the slavers. Hanzo’s frozen in fear as the memory of that night plays out in vibrant, violent detail in front of him.

Sparks rain down from the alight sakura trees Hanamura was famous for, a terrible facsimile of the gentle spring-time petals that Hanzo loved so much. Altogether, it's a sight too painful to bear again, and Hanzo finds himself falling to his knees, his hands curling over his ears to block out the dying screams and shrieks of his people.

A voice finds its way to Hanzo then, silky smooth and low, full of promise, “I see what you have lost. I see what brings you pain. What if I said I could reverse this? What if I could give you back what you lost?”

Hanzo lifts his head to look for the owner of the voice and has to rub his eyes against a sudden blinding light. When his eyes are clear, there is no fire, none of his people fleeing. They are wandering the streets of the village, adults and children alike laughing and playing. The sakura petals are falling in the light of a gorgeous, warm spring day. Hanzo’s heart aches at the sight, and he stands shakily to his feet.

“I could give this all back,” the voice whispers, “I could make the pain go away. Like those awful slavers never existed. I could make your family whole again.”

Hanzo sees Genji then, patrolling the outskirts of the village. A younger Genji, if only in spirit. A Genji still with his wild grin and no burden of taking care of their people on his shoulders. Then, the tall and proud form of Shimada Sojiro rides up to speak with Genji, his own patrol of the village complete.

Hanzo remembers this day. The day before the attack. Oh, how quickly everything had been ripped apart.

A slender, feminine hand comes to rest on Hanzo’s shoulder, the nails are blackened and sharp. Yet her touch brings Hanzo nothing but comfort, entranced by the sight before him as he is. His heart longing for the simple days torn from him and his family. The woman next to him steps into his peripheral view, her ink black hair tossed by the wind, obscuring her eyes and her ruby red lips are turned down into a frown.

“Such a lovely home ripped apart by violence,” the woman coos sympathetically, “Yet it could be yours once more. I could turn back time. I could prevent all that happened to you.”

She crosses in front of Hanzo, but he never sees her face, his eyes are locked to the forms of his father and brother as they slowly approach him, like they had on the last day they had of happiness. Those sharp nails of the woman slide across Hanzo’s chest as she passes, the touch tingling strangely as she stops to lean up to whisper into Hanzo’s ear.

“All I ask, all you need to do,” she details, a smile in her voice, “is walk away. Forget the woods, forget your task. Just walk away.”

Hanzo furrows his brows. Walk away from what? The woods? What task does she speak of? Part of him is terribly confused. What is there that is so important? What is in the woods? He’s about to open his mouth and ask these questions before the wind picks up, and the woman steps away and scowls. Hanzo blinks as thunder rumbles overhead and is startled to find his mother suddenly standing before him.

Kimiko’s eyes are glowering at the woman, her glare one of ice-cold malice. Confusingly, Hanzo can see his father’s dragon at her side. That’s not right, they should be at his father’s side. Hanzo shakes his head to try to clear it, and Kimiko herself steps to Hanzo’s side, causing the woman to step farther back.

“Stay away from my son, you filthy creature,” Kimiko snarls, the purple dragon at her side snapping its jaws towards the woman.

The woman’s ruby lips curl into a scowl of her own. A cold, bitter wind blows through the area and Hanzo finally catches sight of her eyes as the wind whips by. They are nothing but soulless, empty sockets, and Hanzo recoils in shock. Kimiko steadies him, lifting her chin to look down upon where the woman once stood.

“Hanzo,” Kimiko says as she turns to him, cupping her son’s face, “You’re so close. Keep going, keep fighting. Jesse needs you.”

“Jesse,” Hanzo says aloud, eyes widening in realization.

It’s like pouring ice over him, the enchantment that was woven on his heart failing as Hanzo remembers why he is here. Around him, the fake Hanamura begins to crumble, flames beginning to lick at the sky once more as the screaming begins anew. It hurts to hear, and Hanzo clutches at his head as the memories come back.

Kimiko pulls Hanzo into a hug, whispering into his ear, “This is the pain we must bear as we continue on. We mourn for those we have lost, we carry their memory with us.” She holds her son tight in a warm, motherly embrace. “Hanzo, you have come so far, do not let anything come between you and the happiness you have fought so hard to achieve.”

Kimiko pulls away and cups Hanzo’s face in both of her hands, lifting his head so he meets her gaze. She smiles warmly, and so does the great purple dragon at her side. She then steps away entirely, her form flickering slightly like the flames around them both.

“They can only help me be here so long,” Kimiko laments, petting the purple dragon’s head, “But I felt that you needed me, call it a mother’s intuition. I will be watching over you, both you and Genji as much as I can.”

She turns and looks down the path that flows through the burning village, a look of sorrow crossing her features before she turns back to Hanzo.

“Your way through is a difficult one, but I know you’re strong enough to keep going. Good luck, Hanzo. I look forwards to your return.”

His mother’s form fades then, leaving Hanzo alone amidst the smoke and flames and screams. Hanzo shudders and grips his naginata. He looks at the destruction around him, and then to the path ahead. His heart feels like it’s going to burst from his chest, it’s beating so fast with panic still.

Plus, there is still that woman. Hanzo has no doubt with how easily she had cast some enchantment that he’s had his first encounter with the Witch. No doubt she will be waiting elsewhere to try to turn him away from his task again. He cannot allow that to happen again.

Hanzo slowly begins to walk through the burning village. His heart races the entire time, thudding erratically in his chest. His dragons rumble their apologies to him, the spell the Witch had cast had affected them too. Hanzo closes his eyes and lets them know he forgives them.

As Hanzo moves through the village the people fleeing pass through him, only solidifying that this all is indeed just an illusion. It doesn’t make it any less harrowing, and it brings up all of the very real memories that Hanzo endured. When it becomes too much, Hanzo closes his eyes and keeps moving forward.

“Lead me,” Hanzo pleads to his dragons, “I cannot look anymore.”

Hanzo’s dragons rise and lead him, just as they had done while they had escorted Hanzo and the flower up the mountain pass. Instructing their master over the roots and fallen branches, such obstacles becoming more common the farther and farther Hanzo moves through the village and the illusion starts to crumble into pieces.

The sound slowly starts to fade behind Hanzo, and he dismisses the dragons so their sight joins his once more. He opens his eyes to see more darkness, and when he turns to look behind him, the village is gone and there is only more darkness. Hanzo takes a moment to try to calm himself, clutching the naginata tighter, making his hands sweat from the effort.

Hanzo reaches up to grasp at the pendant of the stone dragon that Jesse carved, running his fingers over the coils of the dragon and focusing on the texture of the carved scales. Eventually, he feels calm enough to continue on further, moving through more darkness.

Hanzo’s certain that time either passes too slowly or not at all in this warped version of the woods. The only sort of timekeeping he has is the same steady rhythm of the heartbeat that he’s been following. He prays that soon he will find Jesse at the end of the trail. He tugs Jesse’s serape around himself tighter.

Jesse’s heartbeat is getting steadily louder again. Hanzo’s prepared for it to seemingly dart out of his reach yet again, but it remains in the same spot, just ahead. Louder and louder the sound of it grows. Hanzo’s own heart seems to become louder as well, keeping time with Jesse’s.

There’s another wall of tangled thorns in Hanzo’s path, and cautiously he approaches. He’s not heard any of those strange entangled creatures ever since he’s started travelling the paths alone, and hopes that he will not find one patrolling this wall. Yet again, when Hanzo approaches the wall it slowly starts to pull apart and open for him.

There’s low light on the other side of the doorway. Jesse’s heartbeat sounds louder than Hanzo’s ever heard it. Hanzo adjusts his hold on the serape so he can feel the stone pendant underneath. His dragons stir, sharing Hanzo’s unease. Jesse’s on the other side of this threshold, Hanzo can feel it. The Witch possibly as well. Hanzo would be surprised if she is not.

Jesse needs him though, so Hanzo swallows his fear, steels himself and crosses through the doorway of thorns.

It’s absolutely freezing on the other side. Hanzo curls the serape around himself tighter. At least it’s brighter than the dark paths before, everything awash in a strange, ethereal blue. Hanzo moves deeper in and soon finds himself at the edge of a clearing. In the middle there is a large, twisted Wych Elm. There is something decidedly not right with that tree, but Hanzo does not pay it much mind.

Because in front of the elm, wrapped up tight in the same twisted, thorned vines and roots, lays Jesse.

Hanzo’s moving before he even registers that he is, breaking into a run. He skids to his knees next to Jesse, cupping his lover’s face. Jesse’s unnaturally still, his three eyes closed. Hanzo soothes a hand over Jesse’s snout-like face, relieved that he is still warm to the touch. He pauses to glance cautiously around the clearing. Seeing as there is nothing but Jesse, the tree, and himself, Hanzo begins his rescue mission in earnest.

He turns his attention to the roots, grabbing Jesse’s hunting knife from behind his quiver. Hanzo begins to cut Jesse free, soon finding one of the thorned vines wrapped tight around Jesse’s neck. Hanzo tugs at it and manages to pull it loose enough to get the knife underneath and cut it.

Almost immediately Jesse sucks in a ragged, fearful breath and begins to thrash against the bindings keeping him trapped.

“Jesse! Jesse _stop_,” Hanzo begs, trying to grasp at the vines himself to help him, “I can’t help you if you won’t stop.”

“H-Hanzo?” Jesse’s head swivels towards Hanzo, his eyes are aglow in the darkness of this space, wide with fear.

“Yes,” Hanzo stops cutting away the vines to cup Jesse’s face, “It's me, I’m here, my Heart. I’ve come to free you as I said I would.”

Jesse only shakes his head, “No. No, you can’t be.”

“I promise you,” Hanzo sheaths the knife briefly to cup Jesse’s face in his hands to comfort him, “It’s truly me, not an illusion. I’m right here.”

“Then you need to go, right now,” Jesse’s ears flick back, and he’s curling in on himself, his voice a fearful hushed whisper, “Please Hanzo.”

“I can’t leave you,” Hanzo presses his forehead to Jesse’s, “Not here. Never again. I told you, the next time I leave this place, it will be with you at my side.”

“_Forget_ me,” Jesse growls out in another whisper, “It’s too late for me, an’ she’ll do what she done to me or _worse_ to you.”

“I have seen your Witch,” Hanzo snaps out, frustrated at Jesse’s unwillingness to try, drawing the knife once more to resume cutting Jesse free, “I have seen her black hair and her black soulless eyes. She is not _here. _I do not fear her, nor should you._”_

_“Hanzo,”_ Jesse’s ears flick back farther, “Hanzo no, you don’t _get it._ That was not _her._ Well, not _her _her, prob’ly an illusion of a different her.”

Hanzo pauses in the middle of cutting through another vine, “_What_?”

“Whatever you saw, that wasn’t her,” Jesse repeats in a hiss, “She’s…”

There’s a dull thud to Hanzo’s right, and both Jesse and Hanzo pause to look towards what made the noise. It’s a recognizable stone, one side broken. Carved on the surface is the head of a dragon. The rest of the dragon from Jesse’s stone compass.

Hanzo hears a loud, slow shuddering creak above him, the top of his head soon tickled by something wispy. Like string. Hanzo carefully, slowly backs away to look at what it is, slowly tilting his head up.

The hair is the first thing he sees. Long, greasy and stringy strands of ink black. There are blackened leaves tangled in it. Hanzo’s eyes trail up further and he feels his breath leave him in a startled hiss. He’s too shocked to make any other noise.

The Wych Elm has bent in half, and slowly being claimed by the bark of the section of trunk that’s above Hanzo is the half-rotted corpse of a woman. Her long hair hanging down, framing a wide, sadistic grin made worse by her rotting lips that are still painted red. Her rib cage is visible as well, half claimed by the tree bark. Within the cage of bone the same heartbeat Hanzo’s been following this entire time emanates, a dull orange glow barely showing past the ribs.

Hanzo’s frozen in place, his heart and mind racing. He’s barely aware of Jesse crying out his name and begging for him to run. The Witch’s horrific grin only gets impossibly wider, those soulless socket eyes coming to life in a wicked, fiery glow. The branches of her Wych Elm body curl and form into long, spindly arms, a thin and sharp finger soon travelling down to stroke along Hanzo’s jaw.

“What was that about not fearing me~?” the Witch teases, her voice a raspy hiss.

Hanzo jolts out of her grasp then, pivoting away and brandishing his naginata. The Witch raises up a bit and smirks, another set of her branched arms dragging back the still bound form of Jesse farther away from Hanzo even as he fights the Witch’s grasp and cries Hanzo’s name.

“Shimada Hanzo,” the Witch purrs with sadistic glee, “So far you’ve come to stand against me. You must be so tired though from all that travel. Why don’t you put that silly stick away and we can discuss this like adults.”

“I am _done_ with your games,” Hanzo growls, adjusting his stance, “I will not discuss _anything_ with you. You will hand over Jesse and his heart, or you will die.”

The Witch covers her mouth in mock concern and horror, but her face crumbles and she cackles, the sound bouncing around the clearing. She stops laughing suddenly in a split second, those glowing red eyes wide and fixed on Hanzo, her skull tilting at an impossible angle to look down upon Hanzo.

“Oh dear, oh dear, you’re serious aren’t you?” the Witch tuts audibly, and looks to the struggling Jesse, “You’d truly risk so much for this miserable creature?”

“Of course, I love him,” Hanzo proclaims, and then adds with a considering tilt of his head as he sizes the Witch up, “unlike you.”

That certainly rubs her the wrong way. The Witch’s eyes flare bright red and she screeches an enraged hiss into the still air of the clearing.

“He's mine! _He’s mine_!” She shrieks and tugs at her hair, her personality once again rapidly changing in a split second, “No little spell casting whore is going to come between us! That’s what you are! A whore! You’ve cast a spell on him to steal him away from me! I won’t let you take him from me!”

The ground around Hanzo starts rumbling. Blackened roots burst forth from the ground, trying to entangle Hanzo. He slices through them and dodges the others the Witch sends to attack him. Hanzo breathes deep and steels himself for what will no doubt be a difficult battle.

A difficult battle that he must win, at any cost. Both his own and Jesse’s fate rests on the outcome.


	28. The One They Call the Witch

The clearing has become a violent dance hall. Branches burst from the ground and try to grasp for Hanzo, only to be sliced clean through with his naginata as he dodges and pivots away. The onslaught is ceaseless, but Hanzo must keep going, despite the exhaustion beginning to creep through his muscles and body.

He needs to get closer to the Witch, but her attacks are calculated, and they do not allow Hanzo to gain any ground towards her or Jesse. Hanzo can still hear his lover struggling against his own bindings, but they’re holding fast. The Witch seems much more focused on Hanzo, those red glowing eyes wide with what can only be described as some sick, twisted joy.

“Your little pet dances for you so prettily, Jesse,” the Witch coos, taking her eyes off Hanzo, her long spindly fingers reaching for Jesse.

Hanzo can hear his loud, fearful whine even at this distance as Jesse tries to struggle away from her touch. Out of the corner of his eye he sees her pick Jesse up by his scruff and grasp his face with another hand. Jesse’s eyes are wide and he keeps trying to struggle against his bindings. Hanzo growls out in anger, and when given an opening, he unsheathes Jesse’s hunting knife and throws it at the Witch.

It lands true, right into the rib cage of the Witch. She hisses and drops Jesse, her attention turning back to Hanzo. Those long spindly fingers curl around the hilt of the knife as she pulls it from where it’s stuck to her ribs. The brittle bones crack and a chunk of her ribs fall to the ground, dislodged by the knife’s removal. She tosses the knife down, where it sticks into the dirt, inches from Jesse’s face. She pays no mind, her ire drawn by Hanzo and Hanzo alone.

Hanzo can see the blood-red glimmer of Jesse’s heart better now where it’s trapped far behind the Witch’s ribs. The heartbeat has quickened since the battle began, in time with Jesse’s panic and fear. It pains Hanzo to hear its rabbit pace, to hear Jesse’s sounds of fear.

Hanzo needs to concentrate on the next move the Witch will make though, as much as he desires to rush to Jesse’s side to protect and comfort him. Jesse’s still too close to her and such a move would be too dangerous. Hanzo needs an opening that the Witch has just not given him yet, to both free Jesse and attempt to take his heart.

Yet there is still an opportunity to be had in drawing her ire. The thorned vines and branches come for Hanzo in quicker bursts, the Witch completely focused on trying to catch Hanzo in their grasp. Giving Jesse time to wiggle forward and take the hilt of the hunting knife in his mouth to pull it free from the ground. Hanzo catches his eye only briefly but the message is conveyed: Distract her.

Hanzo plans to.

“Is this all you have to throw at me?” Hanzo taunts, slicing through branch after branch, “Did you expend all your other ideas on traps that _failed?_”

“Oh, you are an insolent brat!” The Witch hisses, infuriated, her lower set of twisted branch hands slamming into the dirt. Jesse carefully scootches himself away as she continues her angered tirade. “Graceful as you are, perhaps you’ll make a lovely statue!”

She begins to conjure something, all her arms moving in tandem as she casts a complex spell, the energy coalescing into a sickening grey-green beam. She fires it at Hanzo, and he darts out of the way. The branches that were chasing him take the full brunt of the spell and slowly turn to stone.

Hanzo will definitely have to watch out for that spell.

The Witch’s rotted lips curl into a scowl, but then her expression flips into something strangely calm. Those bright red eyes flash and her expression slowly shifts into another wicked smile. Hanzo immediately feels a familiar dread crawl up his spine. Especially when Hanzo hears the crackling of fire again, and when he blinks the clearing has taken on the illusionary visage of the aflame, ruined Hanamura.

“You should have taken my deal,” The Witch’s voice purrs from nowhere and everywhere at once, her silhouette barely visible through the smoke. Her red eyes are brightly aglow and match the violent vibrance of the flames. “You could have gone back to your life, but you decided to be stubborn and challenge me.”

“It would have been a false life,” Hanzo snarls into the flaming darkness, “Nothing _you_ would given me would _ever_ compare to what I have lost.” Jesse comes to mind, and Hanzo closes his eyes and reaches for the stone pendant underneath the serape, “Or what I have gained.”

“Then I’ll make sure you languish, frozen here for the rest of your life!” the Witch howls, and through the smoke, there is another green-grey flash that Hanzo barely dodges.

Another comes, and Hanzo nearly trips on his feet to dodge that one. The branches are back too, and when Hanzo tries to move from one that suddenly bursts from the ground, another he didn’t see in time grasps his wrist and wrenches it painfully. It’s by sheer will that he doesn’t drop his naginata.

Hanzo adjusts his hold on his weapon to get another angle, sliding the blade of the naginata underneath the branch and leveraging it upwards. It manages to slice through the branch, but he’s lost precious time. There’s a flash of green-grey light in his periphery, noticed too late. Hanzo braces himself for the worst.

Something large and warm slams into him instead, and both he and it go rolling across the flaming ground. Four arms are holding tight around Hanzo and when they come to rest, the now free Jesse curls briefly around Hanzo and rumbles softly in apology for tackling him so roughly. Hanzo wiggles in his hold just enough to press a quick, fleeting kiss to Jesse’s cheek to thank him before they both scramble to their feet when the ground rumbles underneath.

Hanzo turns to slice at the vines as they appear, back to Jesse, and Jesse’s back to him as he uses claws and fangs to rip and tear. Jesse’s freedom seems to only infuriate the Witch further, and she sends everything she has their way. Another beam of that grey-green flashes and before Hanzo can dodge it Jesse scoops him up and tosses him onto his back and out of the way.

“We need to get close to her,” Hanzo advises as he settles onto Jesse’s back, feeling the way Jesse’s entire body shudders underneath him in fear for even suggesting it.

“I know,” Jesse growls, sidestepping another set of branches and vines that reach for him, ripping them apart with his teeth and claws, “I know an’ I hate it. If it were up to me, I’d be takin’ you far away from here.”

“I can’t leave now. I’ve come so far and so have the others,” Hanzo laments. He leans up and kisses Jesse’s cheek, “Please, Jesse. We can do this, together.”

Hanzo has to cling to Jesse’s clothes as Jesse suddenly lowers himself to all six of his limbs and darts forward. The Witch screeches in fury and the branches and vines try to impede Jesse as he darts around the illusion of Hanamura contained in the Witch’s clearing. Any branches and vines that get too close Hanzo slices clean through with the naginata. Every time that Jesse and Hanzo gain too much ground and get too close, the Witch forces them back by conjuring a wall of thorns around the base of the Wych elm.

“We need to distract her long enough to prevent her from conjuring another of her walls, so I can take your heart from her,” Hanzo growls out in frustration after another failed attempt to get close to the Witch, “I’m just not sure how.”

“You’ll think of somethin’,” Jesse encourages, “You’ve always been able to.”

“Buy me some time to think, my Heart,” Hanzo requests, hunkering down on Jesse’s back.

“Already ahead of ya, Sugar.”

Jesse abruptly turns, his tail whipping behind him as he runs towards the branches and vines head-on. His teeth gnash audibly against the bark as he snaps his jaws around the thickest branch and twists his head, tugging the branch taut and getting his hands on it to snap it. Hanzo keeps the smaller vines from entangling Jesse while he does this, mind working as fast as possible. There is no way he can get close enough with his naginata to do any substantial damage to the Witch that might incapacitate her. There’s also the matter of Jesse’s heart as well.

Half of a conversation from what now feels like ages ago drifts to Hanzo’s mind as he thinks.

_“Please, tell me,” Hanzo had implored the Nymph of the Crystal Pools, “Tell me how to break Jesse’s curse.”_

_The Nymph of the Crystal Pools had sighed so softly as if brought regret by the very question itself. She’d been so silent for the longest time, Hanzo had assumed she’d left him to wonder at the answers for himself._

_ “There are many ways, none of which will be an easily accomplished feat.”_

_ “I will do anything to see Jesse freed of his curse.” Hanzo had shot back, determined, “Anything.”_

_ “Very well. The various ways to break the curse all converge on the same end, more or less. To truly return Jesse to his former self, his heart needs to be returned to him. Currently, it is in the possession of the Witch, and her magic has warped it into an artefact of great arcane power. Both the immortality and monstrous form Jesse is cursed with stems from the spell cast on his heart, and while it is in the possession of the one who holds his heart, the immortality is a shared ailment.”_

_ “So as long as she has it, she cannot be killed?” Hanzo’s brows had furrowed together as his thoughts raced, “If I am to take it from her, will she become mortal again?”_

_ “Indeed.”_

_ “And if I manage to take it, I can kill her, and the curse will end?”_

_ “That would indeed be a way to end a majority of the curse and other spells she’s laid, yes. As I have said, for Jesse’s human form and mortality to return, his heart must be returned. He must be made whole again.”_

_ “I see…” Hanzo murmured, his thoughts calculative, “But… you said there were other ways?”_

Hanzo shakes his head of the memory and focuses, cutting through another vine that threatens to trip Jesse up. He needs to get close enough to take Jesse’s heart in order to kill the Witch, he must. It’s the simplest of the solutions, the one that will not bring harm to Jesse himself. He thinks harder for a way to distract the Witch.

His naginata would put him in a position too close to get to the Witch, but his bow would not. Hanzo’s dragons stir as his plan forms. It will be risky, summoning his dragons this way and setting them loose on the Witch will put Hanzo at an incredible disadvantage and Jesse at risk of being overrun with vines. As soon as his dragons leave his body with the summon, Hanzo will lose their shared sight.

Yet it is the only thing that they have that may work. Besides, all this time, Hanzo has been following the sound of Jesse’s heart. The sound and Jesse himself will no doubt lead Hanzo true. He grasps Jesse’s mane and adjusts himself to sit high enough on Jesse’s back to relay his plan into one of his beloved’s long, triangular ears.

Jesse’s grunt of affirmation lets Hanzo know that he agrees its the best shot they have. Jesse once more abruptly turns on his heels, barreling straight for the Witch herself. She cackles at their audacity and moves her hands once more to conjure the same petrification magic she’s been trying to hit them with this entire time. Hanzo in turn readies the bow Jesse made him, his dragons writhing under his skin.

He draws his arrow and takes aim, holding the weapon steady as he can while subject to Jesse’s strange six-limbed gait. The beam the Witch conjures flashes and Jesse shifts to the side in time, the magic narrowly missing Hanzo as he releases his arrow, his incantation to call his dragons a roar in the midst of the illusionary flames that are devouring Hanamura.

Hanzo hears the twin spirits burst forth with a storm and an enraged roar and descend on the Witch, his sight fading as they leave him to do his bidding. He hears the Witch shriek in rage and shock, the snap of his dragon’s jaws on branches and bark and those same branches whipping around as the Witch tries to no doubt dislodge her attackers. Underneath the new cacophony, the illusionary sound of the flames fades until the only other sound is the sound of Jesse’s heart beating like a beacon in the dark.

“Now Jesse!” Hanzo hunkers down on Jesse’s back and prepares for what he must do.

He feels Jesse’s pace quicken and his leap, both grunting when Jesse slams into the thick trunk of the Wych elm. Hanzo hears the creak of bark as Jesse’s claws dig in and find purchase. Above, so close, Jesse’s heart is beating rapidly. Hanzo scrambles up Jesse’s back and towards the sound.

His hands come into contact with bark, and then rotting flesh, and finally bone. Jesse’s heart is loud in his ears, drowning out all other sounds, and Hanzo finds the gap in the Witch’s ribs made by the hunting knife, reaching his hand to scramble around inside the cage of bone until his fingers come into contact with something hard yet blazingly hot.

His fingers curl around it and Hanzo tugs Jesse’s heart free, feeling the erratic beat of it steady against his palm. The chambers that are now made of some sort of crystalline material still shift as the heart beats, as if it were still a soft heart of flesh.

Hanzo’s sight returns to him then, his dragons’ task of distraction complete. Jesse’s heart is a deep red, glowing dully in his palm. He can’t help the smile that comes to his face.

It’s a short-lived victory.

Jesse calls frantically for Hanzo as branches reach up and grasp at Jesse, tearing him away and tossing him nearly clear across the clearing. Hanzo turns to look where he’s landed but the Witch grabs at him and pulls him up to face her. Hanzo clutches Jesse’s heart to his own chest tight and scowls as he comes face to face with the Witch.

“You just enjoy playing your little games, don’t you?” The Witch hisses, vines coming up and trying to pry Hanzo’s arms away so she can steal back Jesse’s heart, “Give it back you wretched little thing!”

Hanzo’s wrist is wrenched again, but he clutches Jesse’s heart stubbornly tight, his knuckles turning white as he fights the grip of the vines. Hanzo starts to growl out his incantation again, blue energy crackling down his left arm as his dragons rise to defend their master. The Witch shrieks as the energy starts to form into the dragons and they snap their jaws at her, the lightning arcing off their scales starting to catch on the dry bark of the old Wych elm and the vines and set it all alight. Their incredibly close proximity meaning Hanzo can watch with vision that fades in and out as they snarl and snap at the vines that hold their master in place.

“Can’t you tell that you’ve lost!?” Hanzo growls, thrashing against her hold to help his dragons free him.

The Witch stops shrieking then, stops shaking Hanzo, even as the flames slowly creep down the vines and start to devour her form. She grins again, a wicked, feral grin made worse by the dancing flames as the Wych Elm burns. She leans down so her horrific visage is almost nose to nose with Hanzo.

“Well then,” She says cheerily as her dry, stringy hair slowly starts to catch fire, “I think I’d like your game better if it ended like this.”

Hanzo is confused for all of a second, and then he is crying out as sharp pain spears through his abdomen. He grasps blindly for what has impaled him, wrenching a hand free from a vine that has burned away to feel at the sharp thorned branch that had speared through him. He can hear Jesse crying his name in sheer agony as if he were the one run through.

The Witch, still very much alive even though being consumed by flame, smiles and gives Hanzo’s head a fond pat, “There! A draw! We _all_ lose! Isn’t that much more fun for everyone?”

The branch is pulled from Hanzo’s middle violently, and the Witch lets him fall from her grasp as she cackles. Hanzo does not hit the ground, he’s caught by four very warm but violently trembling arms and cradled close to Jesse’s chest. Hanzo feels like he’s being pulled from the present, back to that same conversation, his eyes trained on not his grievous wound but Jesse’s frantically beating heart in his palm.

_“The other way,” the Nymph of the Crystal Pools said, her voice pitying, “Is the most certain way that Jesse’s heart will come back into his own possession.”_

_ “How is that?” Hanzo had moved towards her, so eager to know, especially if it was far easier than facing and killing the Witch, “Tell me, please.”_

_ “It will bring him much harm when he has already been harmed,” The Nymph of the Crystal Pools informed him. There was such a deep sadness to her voice. “It is not hard to figure out.”_

_ “I’ve no time for riddles!” Hanzo had snapped, frustrated._

_ “It is no riddle. Simply a fact of life. Tell me, Hanzo, how do you think the one that holds a heart loses it?”_

Hanzo’s eyes, tearing up with pain, watch as hairline cracks begin to appear in the crystal mass that is Jesse’s heart. It’s beating erratically in his palm, and Jesse himself is above him nuzzling at him insistently as tears pour from all three of his eyes. Hanzo’s own tears building as those hairline cracks snap audibly, a vibrant orange glow beginning to show through the fissures.

“…You break it.” Hanzo whispers, his tears finally falling.

Jesse’s heart, held so gently in Hanzo’s palm, shatters. The Witch cackles with sadistic glee, right up until her last dying breath.


	29. A Vow

This is not how this is supposed to go.

Jesse holds Hanzo tight, tears streaking down his face, dripping off his elongated nose onto Hanzo’s face as he leans down and cradles his beloved. The Witch is burning to embers behind them, Jesse has turned himself pointedly from her. He won’t let her have the satisfaction of him attending her funeral pyre, not when she has done so much harm, even now taking away the only light in Jesse’s long life.

This is _not_ how this is supposed to go.

Their story was supposed to end happily, like the fairy tales Jesse read to Hanzo on the cold winter nights, those rough hands so gently carding through Jesse’s mane. Hanzo was supposed to succeed, they were supposed to succeed. Triumph over evil at the end of it all. The hero never dies in the stories.

But the hero, Jesse’s hero, Jesse’s _saviour,_ his_ Hanzo_, lays dying in his many arms. Jesse can do nothing to help him, can do nothing but hold him tight and weep. Jesse had wrapped his serape around Hanzo tight to keep the wound sealed closed. Yet even now Hanzo comforts him, his hand shaking with his own fear and effort as he runs it through Jesse’s mane.

“I’m sorry,” Hanzo begins, voice rough, “Jesse, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t.” Jesse lifts his head to nuzzle his snout-like face against Hanzo’s. “You don’t gotta apologize to me. You’ve done so much for me.”

Hanzo’s face contorts in sorrow, “I wanted to do more. I _want_ to do more. I want to keep the promises that I made to you. I want us to be together as I said we would be.”

“I know,” Jesse’s voice breaks, and he dips his head to rest against Hanzo’s shoulder, “I know, baby.”

“At least, at least I can rest knowing you’ll be free,” Hanzo whispers, his hand drifting from Jesse’s mane to trace along his face, “You can finally leave this place.”

Hanzo shifts and he pulls into view the remnants of Jesse’s heart. The dull red crystal has all cracked away, the glittering dust left behind drifting off in the breeze that has once more begun to blow through the clearing. What’s left of Jesse’s heart is another bright crystal object, this time aglow a vibrant orange that’s nearly too bright to behold. Hanzo cradles it so delicately in his palm, as if afraid to cause Jesse further harm. Jesse only stares at it briefly before he turns his attention back to his lover.

“I never meant to hurt you this way,” Hanzo admits, curling his fingers up around Jesse’s heart protectively as he offers it to Jesse, “Everything I did, I only did to ensure you’d never come into harm, and I still failed.”

“No, No, Honey no. Ya didn’t fail,” Jesse soothes as he curls around Hanzo tighter, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “You didn’t fail, I’m free. I’m free because of you.”

It’s true, Jesse can feel it. Hanzo’s eyes have not left him once, and no longer is there the phantom threat of the madness trying to take Hanzo. The forest already feels way different, the late autumn sun slowly beginning to filter through the trees as the Witch’s influence is purged. The fire that had engulfed her body and the corrupted Wych Elm dying down and leaving nothing but ash that is soon scattered by the breeze.

Hanzo smiles, a small, sadly wistful little tug at the corner of his lips. Jesse strokes a thumb across Hanzo’s cheek, through the tear tracks before he leans down and claims Hanzo’s lips in a soft kiss. He can feel more tears fall, both his own and Hanzo’s as the kiss lingers.

“Jesse,” Hanzo whispers as they part, and he holds up Jesse’s heart again.

The proximity to Jesse makes the crystalline heart glow brighter, and through his clothes torn from battle so does the scarring on Jesse’s chest where the Witch had cut it out. When Jesse does not move to take it, Hanzo adjusts his hold on Jesse’s heart and moves to place it against Jesse’s chest. To reunite heart and body and end the still lingering immortality and altered form leftover from the curse.

Before he can, Jesse’s larger hand curls around Hanzo’s and stops him.

Hanzo’s startled gaze meets Jesse’s, a question on his lips. Jesse only shakes his head softly, leans down to press kisses to the corner of Hanzo’s eyes. When Hanzo does not flinch away from the gesture, Jesse kisses the corner of the other eye. When he pulls away he moves two of his free hands to cup Hanzo’s face.

“I can’t,” Jesse admits, staring into Hanzo’s confused eyes, “I can’t accept this. I won’t. For us to go through this all, and to have to continue _without _you? It’s fuckin’ bullshit, and I won’t accept it.”

“Jess—“

“I hope ya can forgive me,” Jesse interrupts softly, parroting Hanzo’s own words from so long ago back at him as he lays stunned in Jesse’s arms, “If I ask for ya to allow me t’be selfish.”

“…Of course,” Hanzo whispers, his free hand stroking Jesse’s cheek.

“My heart… it has been keepin’ you alive,” Jesse points out, “You shoulda been gone an’ gone cold by now.” He strokes Hanzo’s cheek, watching the realization slowly dawn on Hanzo.

Hanzo’s brow furrows, no doubt already piecing together what Jesse means to do. “Jesse, what you offer to me—“

“Is what I choose ta,” Jesse retorts, “I give this to ya freely because _I can. _I told ya, remember? If it were mine ta give, my heart would go anywhere with you.” Jesse adjusts his hold on Hanzo once more, keeping his hand around Hanzo’s and his heart, thumb rubbing Hanzo’s hand gently. “This ain’t how our story ends, Han. I won’t let it end like this, and I know you don’t want it to either.”

Hanzo nods slowly. Jesse rumbles softly in his chest and nuzzles Hanzo gently, pressing a sweet kiss to Hanzo’s cheek. Hanzo wraps his free arm around Jesse’s neck to hold him close. Jesse gently rocks him in his arms, giving him time to think. In the distance, there is birdsong beginning, the calls of birds that were long silent when the Witch’s presence was felt.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Hanzo asks softly, “If I accept?”

“Yeah,” Jesse whispers softly, his claws running through Hanzo’s hair comfortingly, “I know. I'll still remain in this form." Jesse sighs softly, "That ain't a bad price ta pay to be together forever. It sounds real nice, if ya ask me.”

“It does sound nice,” Hanzo whispers, nuzzling into Jesse’s chest, “I admit, I want that if you want that.”

“I do.” Jesse smiles a little. “Heh, sounds a lil’ like a vow.” He continues to run his claws through Hanzo’s hair to comfort him, closing his eyes. “Would you like ta do that, if you accept?”

“Make a vow?” Hanzo asks, closing his eyes as well, both briefly relishing in simply being in each other’s arms.

“Yeah. Make this all official. Exchange vows, pledge t’be together for the rest o’ our lives. Together forever come hell, high water, or more pissed off Witches.” Jesse earns a jab at the ill-timed joke, “Sorry. That was awful, an’ I deserved that.”

Hanzo’s flat look that he’s been giving Jesse melts a little away at the apology. Jesse rumbles another and strokes a thumb over those sharp cheekbones that he adores so much. Hanzo turns and kisses Jesse’s palm.

“I accept,” Hanzo answers softly, “I accept your gift, Jesse.”

Jesse rumbles happily and gently kisses Hanzo, taking their joined hands that hold his heart between them and setting them both to rest on Hanzo’s chest. Slowly Jesse removes his hand from around Hanzo’s, watching the crystal facsimile of his heart slowly beat as Hanzo’s hand curls around it protectively. One of Jesse’s hands strokes Hanzo’s hair, another cups his face. A third settles over Hanzo’s hand that’s resting over Jesse’s heart.

If a spoken curse holds power, then spoken vows should too.

Jesse closes his three eyes and thinks. How does one simply find the words to express all the emotion and love he holds in his heart? He starts with a kiss, instead. Slowly, so slow and soft and sweet. His and Hanzo’s lips moving in tandem gently, Jesse ever mindful of his fangs.

“I love you,” Jesse begins when they part, “Never thought you stumblin’ into me that night would lead to all this but I’m so glad you crashed into me. I’m so glad ta have been allowed close to ya, to see into your heart. Help you through your pain. You’ve placed so much trust in me an’ I vow ta never betray that trust. I vow ta remain at your side, through whatever comes to stand in our way on the path we journey on together.”

“Pain, pleasure, loss, joy,” Jesse continues, presses his forehead to Hanzo’s and stares into his eyes, “Everythin’ in between, I wanna share with you, I want to experience the rest of what life has to offer me at _your _side. I wanna continue ta be the one you turn to when times are hard, when your grief returns. I wanna be the one ta hear you laugh, see your smile. Be the _reason_ you smile, I wanna share my own smiles with you.”

“Part o’ me forgot what it was like to live, ta have a heart before you,” Jesse admits, rubbing his nose gently against Hanzo’s, “forgot what genuine love felt like before you. What bein’ a person felt like, felt like jus’ the creature in the woods that _she_ had made me into. But you came an’ you reminded me.” Jesse shifts back just enough to gaze into Hanzo’s eyes, the tincture still in effect and making them appear like the stars have fallen to the earth and made their home in Hanzo’s eyes. “Shimada Hanzo, I vow to stay at your side, as long as you’ll have me, an’ I entrust my heart to ya. Hell, it’s already yours.”

Hanzo’s smile is bright and gorgeous, and it warms Jesse to see it. His heart under their shared palms is aglow between their fingers. Hanzo’s free hand comes to rest overtop Jesse’s that’s cradling his face, and he twins their fingers. Jesse rumbles softly in his chest. Hanzo takes his time to think as well, before he begins softly.

“My Jesse, my Heart, my Love. I owe you more than you’ll ever take, because that is not how your love works,” Hanzo says, “So much of what you have given me is your patience, your love, even when I was being an ass.” Jesse can’t help a watery chuckle as Hanzo continues, “You created paths for me and gave me the strength to walk them, allowed me to regain the confidence to walk them and move forward when I was stuck still. Frozen with my grief and loss.”

His own heart laid bare, Hanzo smiles softly and cups Jesse’s face with his free hand. Jesse can’t help but nuzzle Hanzo’s rough palm. “The only thing I desire is to be worthy of you. To be worthy of the love you’ve provided and shown me. You laid before me the paths I walk, but it is at your side that I wish to walk them.”

Jesse’s heart flickers like a live flame between the two of them, underneath their joined hands. Nothing emanates from the artefact but warmth and affection.

“This is yet another gift you’ve given me,” Hanzo says, eyes aglow and watery, overwhelmed with the sheer affection, with Jesse’s affection that he feels pouring from the heart underneath his palm and shining in Jesse’s three eyes, “I do not take this gift lightly. Love is complicated and messy, and we are far from perfect, but to be given this gift is in of itself a gift. Your heart is precious to me, and I vow to protect it.”

Hanzo runs his thumb over Jesse’s cheek, and he rumbles happily at the touch. “Jesse McCree, I too want to experience what else life has to offer me at your side. I want to rebuild what I lost with your aid, I ask you to continue to lend me your strength as I do.” Jesse nods and Hanzo sends him a small, thankful smile. “I vow to love you and cherish you always.”

Jesse’s heart under both Hanzo and Jesse’s palm flashes bright between them as their lips meet in a kiss to seal their vows. Hanzo gasps softly as the kiss breaks, his eyes wide as he stares at Jesse. He rumbles to Hanzo comfortingly, feeling the shift as well. His heart is no longer underneath their shared palms, and Hanzo moves both hands to clutch at Jesse.

The only way Jesse thinks to check if it worked is to place his large head against Hanzo’s chest, adjusting his hold on Hanzo as he listens. His ear twitches as he concentrates on listening. Underneath his ear are the steady beats of two hearts. Jesse immediately starts to nuzzle Hanzo gently and cradle him closer, gathering him up in his arms. He double-checks Hanzo's wound, finding nothing but unmarred skin, the tear through Hanzo's clothing the only evidence he was even wounded to begin with. Sensing Jesse’s relief and joy, Hanzo wraps his arms tight around Jesse’s neck and presses kiss after kiss to his face.

They hold each other tight in the clearing, the vibrant fall leaves floating down around them both as the last of the Witch’s influence fades from the area. There is more to be done, people to find and check up on, but right now they take this stolen moment and finally allow themselves to bask in their nearly sullied victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be the last update for a hot sec while I take a week break to recharge. There's not much of the story left but a few chapters of the Victory Lap so I hope you all look forwards to those when I get to writing this again!


	30. Through the Woods Once More

There are no words for the absolute exhaustion Hanzo feels. Jesse is no better, but he’s offered to carry Hanzo on his back while they seek out a better place to stay for the night. So, tired and sore beyond belief, Hanzo had climbed onto Jesse’s back, where he now sleepily clings as Jesse moves slowly through the deep woods as the night sets in properly.

Jesse eventually stops, his own body reaching the point where he too is far too tired to go on. Hanzo feels him tug at his pant leg and he wakes just enough for Jesse to set him down as Jesse starts pulling together some semblance of a shelter. Hanzo drifts in and out of consciousness as Jesse does, and when his beloved offers a hand to help lead Hanzo into the makeshift shelter, Hanzo bypasses the offered hand and simply face plants into Jesse’s chest.

It earns him a small, tired chuckle and all four of Jesse’s arms folding around him to lift him, Jesse soon shuffling them both into the small shelter space he’s thrown together. Hanzo rolls himself right against Jesse, curling as close as he can, not because of the cold of the autumn night but simply because for the first time in so many weeks he _can_.

Everything feels surreal, like they’re both in some shared dream. So much has happened and changed in so short a time, Hanzo supposes none of it has truly sunken in for them both. Yet the proof beats in his chest, Jesse’s heart finally fully safe in Hanzo’s care. He shuffles to pull one of his arms inside his haori, to press his palm over the steady beat of Jesse’s heart. He falls asleep just like that, with Jesse having curled himself around Hanzo as much as physically possible.

Hanzo wakes first when morning comes, and he carefully has to shuffle from Jesse’s hold. He’s loathe to wake Jesse when his beloved looks so peaceful in his slumber. Instead, Hanzo adjusts his position and as gently as he possibly can, lifts Jesse’s head into his lap. Jesse immediately grumbles in his sleep and adjusts so he’s comfortable. Hanzo runs his fingers through Jesse’s mane, traces the shell of his cow-like ears idly as he waits for Jesse to wake. He has to stop himself from laughing many times when his touch causes Jesse’s ears to twitch in his sleep.

Eventually that third eye sleepily cracks open, and its gaze drifts around the space of the small shelter before it focuses on Hanzo. He merely smiles and adjusts himself so he can lean down and kiss the corner of it, the long eyelashes tickling his face as the eye drifts closed in contentment and a sleepy purr begins to emanate from Jesse. When Hanzo pulls away all three eyes are open and staring at him in wonder.

“It weren’t a dream then, huh,” Jesse rumbles as he slowly sits up, two hands coming to cup Hanzo’s face as the other two brace himself as he leans into his lover, his forehead coming to rest against Hanzo’s, “The Witch— she’s really gone.”

“She is. Were you worried it was a dream?” Hanzo asks, nuzzling into Jesse’s palm, his own hand coming up to gently rest overtop Jesse’s.

“Yeah, but only because I dreamt a lot ‘bout you when you were gone,” Jesse admits, “Didn’t think I would see you again. Especially after she caught me.”

“How long?” Hanzo asks, his heart sinking, “How long after I left you did she…”

“Jus’ before the Autumn was settin’ in,” Jesse says after a moment of thought, “Right b’fore that, I remember the forest feelin’ very off, an’ I think that was because she an’ Sombra were havin’ a real good spat. An’ then next thing I knew there were these vines an’ this creature attackin’ the grove. She’d never managed to reach the grove b’fore.” Jesse flicks his ears back. “D’ya— d‘ya know if Sombra is okay?”

“She is free from the stone the Witch trapped her in,” Hanzo says as he gives Jesse a gentle, reassuring pat, “My brother and a monk named Zenyatta were watching over her while I went to find you."

“That’s good, I’d hate for her to have gotten hurt real bad.” Jesse seems to realize what else Hanzo had said, and his face brightens, perking up as he smiles a soft smile for Hanzo, “You found your brother? That’s great t’hear.”

“More than my brother, I found some of my people when I found him. Genji had managed to locate some of the other survivors.” Hanzo smiles warmly up at Jesse, and he clutches at Jesse in his excitement to share the news. “My mother as well. She’s so excited to meet you, as are the others.”

“Ah, well,” Jesse’s ears flick back again, this time in embarrassment, “You think that’s a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Hanzo tilts his head in confusion, before he realizes. He cups Jesse’s face gently in his own hands. “They already know, Jesse. Both about the way the curse had altered you, and as well as how dear you are to me.” Hanzo has to chuckle at his own expense, “You’re my worst kept secret, with the way I wandered around without you like a heartsick fool. Anyone with eyes could tell I was missing you _terribly_.”

Jesse snorts, and those arms come around Hanzo to lift him up into Jesse’s lap so Jesse doesn’t have to hunch over so much in the shelter to speak with him face to face. Hanzo takes the opportunity to place a soft peck to the very tip of Jesse’s nose, before he wraps his arms around Jesse’s neck and hugs him tight. Jesse rumbles softly, his hold on Hanzo tightening as well. Both trying to make up for lost time and embraces missed out on while they were apart. Hanzo’s fingers run through Jesse’s mane as he feels him begin to shake in his hold.

“Gods, I’m a wreck,” Jesse admits, pulling away slightly, tears starting to stream from all three of his eyes as he rubs his snout against Hanzo’s temple, “But I jus’, I jus’—“Jesse takes a shuddering breath and clings tighter to Hanzo, “Gods, Hanzo, Darlin’, I think its finally settin’ in. I’m _free. Free _an’ yours.”

“As I am yours.” Hanzo pulls back to look into Jesse’s three, beautiful vibrant eyes, one hand drifting up to cup Jesse’s face. Greedy to touch after so long apart. “Forever. No Witch to keep us apart anymore, or keep you trapped. Free to go wherever we want to. _Together_, just as I promised.”

Jesse rumbles happily and more bright tears streak down his face and Hanzo wipes them away with his sleeve. Interestingly, Jesse is no longer fuzzing at the edges like the others do in the spirit realm reflection, nor is he washed out in the purpled hues of the mirrored world. Perhaps it is because of their new connection that Hanzo can see him so clearly. His dragons agree that it might very well be the case.

Hanzo can feel his dragons curling and twining around one another deep in his soul, circling the piece of Jesse they now guard as well. The spirits had been uneasy since the fight with the Witch that nearly took Hanzo’s life, but since Jesse’s heart has been passed into their and Hanzo’s care, they have calmed considerably. The only thing that keeps them from truly feeling ease is that their sister and Genji have yet to be accounted for.

There is also the fact that Hanzo does not know how Ashe and Bob have fared in their distraction of the creature. Speaking of…

“I have more news to share with you,” Hanzo says softly when Jesse’s tears have ceased, “About someone who knew you before the curse took you.”

“Really?” Jesse seems genuinely perplexed, “Didn’t think no one missed me enough to _care_ to miss me. Who’d you find?” Jesse’s ears flick back and he squints, “Is it fuckin’ _Robert_? That asshole owes me gold, an’ if it was him that was askin’ ‘bout me it was one-hundred percent to get the fuck outta there before I got hold o’ him.”

“I met no one by the name of Robert,” Hanzo raises his eyebrow but shrugs his shoulders, “If we do run into him though, I will make sure what he owes is paid in full and then some. However, I did run into a woman who claims to have known you before the curse, and even says she feels a sort of familial bond to you.”

Jesse’s eyes squint even more before they widen in shock, “No way. Ashe?!”

“Yes, that is her,” Hanzo confirms, “I hope what she said was indeed true, and I have not brought an enemy of yours here accidentally. She is rather… abrasive.”

“She’s here?!” Jesse’s eyes widen and his tail flicks about agitatedly, “Oh uh, I don’t think that— No, no, she won’t do nothin—“ Jesse pauses and considers something, “Well actually, yeah, she’ll likely be fit ta kill, but that’s jus’ how she shows she cares.”

“I’m well aware,” Hanzo responds flatly, “She brandished a crossbow at me for having your serape.”

Jesse blinks, and his face darkens. “She _what_ now?”

“It was an easily rectified misunderstanding, after I convinced her that you were still alive and I did not rob your grave.” Hanzo sniffs derisively, but then shakes his head, “She is certainly something, but even with the rough introduction, she was an invaluable ally and if it were not for her aid, the other members of our group and I would not have reached Sombra.”

“Damn,” Jesse whispers after he calms a little, and he strokes along Hanzo’s jaw with a careful claw in nothing short of soft reverence, his gaze full of wonder, “You really came here with a whole damn group to rescue lil’ ol’ me, huh?”

“Nothing less,” Hanzo replies, wryly adding, “I would have led an army here if it ensured freeing you.”

Jesse barks a laugh, “I don’t doubt that.” He leans in to press a quick kiss to Hanzo’s lips, parting with a smile and a gentle “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Hanzo whispers back just as softly before he leans back in to finally give Jesse a good and proper kiss.

It feels like coming home. Hanzo can’t help the longing sigh he makes as the kiss lingers, wanting nothing more than to stay here and steal this moment for a little longer. But they need to move on, to go find Genji and the others before another night sets in again. Who knows how deep into the woods he’s been led, and how far he and Jesse must travel to meet with the group once more. Hanzo parts from Jesse reluctantly, running his fingers gently through Jesse’s mane as he does.

“We should find the others, and talk about how we wish to proceed,” Hanzo says as he shuffles out of Jesse’s hold, pouting as he does so, “As much as I wish to steal you away to myself, I do not wish to do so here, and I doubt you want to spend a moment more than you must in these woods when your freedom has been won.”

“Ya got that right,” Jesse agrees, following after Hanzo when he exits their makeshift shelter, “I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t itchin' to get the hell outta here.”

When Jesse raises himself to his full height, Hanzo offers him his hand. Jesse takes it readily, his hand completely engulfing Hanzo’s in it. Jesse gives Hanzo’s hand a gentle squeeze as they set out to find the paths that will lead them back to Sombra’s glade and to hopefully find their friends in good health.

It’s almost a shame that this will be the first and last time Hanzo will be able to take in the sight of the woods freed of the Witch’s curse. He’s sure that part of Jesse feels the same, especially since he’s lived in these woods so long. It’s beautiful to see the sun, normally too bright in his borrowed sight, filtered through the boughs overhead. Casting curtains of vibrant light along the paths.

Hanzo’s attention is half caught on the way the motes of happy spirits dance around and the way the sunlight catches on Jesse’s mane. There’s a good while where Hanzo can’t take his eyes off of Jesse, and when Jesse finally notices his cheeks redden endearingly and he makes a little embarrassed rumble. Hanzo only presses closer and lifts their shared hands in order to kiss Jesse’s knuckles before he lets their hands drop to swing between them again.

Slowly they make their way through the woods together towards their goal for the last time.


	31. Out of The Wilderness

They know they're finally close to the glade when Arturito himself comes rushing down the path to greet them. Jesse has to intercept the bear lest he bowls Hanzo right over, and he scoops up the grizzly bear in two arms and ruffles the bear's fur with his free hands. Hanzo’s laugh startles out of him as he presses closer and also gives the bear a few pats of greeting as well.

Arturito eventually wiggles out of Jesse’s hold and rubs happily up against Hanzo when his four paws are back on the ground, and Hanzo scratches behind the bear’s ears. It’s a good sign that the bear seems unharmed, and it eases Hanzo’s worries that Genji and Zenyatta might have come to harm while guarding Sombra as she recovered. Arturito eventually pulls away from Hanzo’s touch and bounds a little bit back up the path, turning to look for them following.

Hanzo merely takes Jesse’s hand again and tugs him along. He can tell Jesse’s nervous to meet Genji and to truly see if the curse of the madness he inflicts died with the Witch. There’s a real concern that it might not affect Hanzo anymore because he is the one holding and caring for Jesse’s heart. Only one way to find out, and that is to see if it lingers and tries to take any of the others.

The closer to the glade they get the more vibrant the woods become. Hanzo’s glad to see it in its full glory without the Witch’s influence. Even in the late autumn, there are deep purple blooms flourishing around the paths. A sure sign that Sombra herself is slowly healing as well with her domain free of the Witch.

As soon as they both step into the clearing of Sombra’s domain, Hanzo is tackled nearly to the ground by Genji. Jesse’s quick to support Hanzo so he doesn’t fall over under Genji’s weight, those four arms coming in handy to catch them both as they nearly fall. Hanzo can feel Jesse go stock-still in his own shock and apprehension, but he can’t reassure him before Genji’s pulling away and starting in with all of the questions.

“Hanzo! You’ve done it I assume? The Witch is truly gone?” Genji starts, both of his hands coming up to clasp Hanzo’s shoulders as he stares at him seriously. At Hanzo’s nod, Genji visibly relaxes. “That’s wonderful to hear! We did figure as much, what with the woods returning to normal, but the confirmation still brings comfort. I’m sure you’re eager to see the others.”

Hanzo’s about to say that, yes, he would very much like to see how the other’s are faring before Genji seems to finally notice Jesse’s presence. He startles a little bit, but then he grins wide and moves from Hanzo to give Jesse a shallow bow. Jesse’s staring at Genji intently, unblinking, before he slowly if a little confusedly dips his head in a bow as well. Genji grins wide and jabs at Hanzo. Hanzo's just relieved that Jesse's curse of madness seems to indeed be gone.

“He learns quickly, mother would be impressed with his manners,” Genji says cheerily before he turns to look up at Jesse, “You must be Jesse! Hanzo’s told us much about you.”

“Good things, I hope,” Jesse replies, his tail slowly starting to wag behind him.

Hanzo takes it as a good sign that Jesse’s not showing distress. The madness aspect of the curse must have truly faded when the Witch met her end. Hanzo’s own relief courses through him, now certain he can take Jesse back to the city with them to meet the rest of his people and his mother.

Well… it raises the issue of getting Jesse _into_ the city without causing panic. The general populace unaware of his situation might not be so keen to let him roam among them. They all will have to discuss that matter later for certain.

But right now, there is still some more checking up to do. Genji leads both Hanzo and Jesse deeper into the clearing, where Sombra herself is lounging on an intricate bench of branches she must have woven to rest on. She’s not alone either, her head is resting on the lap of another Nymph, the crystal quartz of prosthetic fingers shimmering in the sun as they work to weave flowers into Sombra’s hair confirming it to be the Nymph of the Crystal Pools. Both Nymphs reunited at last with the Witch purged from the woods.

The stream running through the clearing has risen over the banks, and the greenery it feeds is lush and vibrant. Hanzo has a feeling that all the waterways through the woods are in a much similar condition. Both Nymphs’ domains at full power and once more allowed to nourish each other without the Witch interfering. It gives Hanzo the feeling that a certain dry creek bed that he once fell down into is no longer dry either.

Hanzo approaches the lounging lovers and bows deeply to both the Shadow’d Lady and the Resplendent Lady, earning a small smile from Symmetra and a tired huff of a greeting from Sombra. Hanzo takes no offence, she must be exhausted, and when the forest is once more returned to its full glory Hanzo has no doubt that she will also be back to her full glory.

Arturito brushes past Hanzo and flops next to the foot of the bench, and Sombra reaches to pet him. Hanzo decides to settle down in the soft grass near them too, and watches as Genji rapid fires many questions Jesse’s way as Jesse settles at Hanzo’s side and Genji joins them. There are yet three people unaccounted for, but Hanzo does not have to wait long for them to appear.

Zenyatta soon comes into view, and following behind him is Bob who’s supporting Ashe, who also looks as tired as Hanzo felt the previous day. She’s got what look to be hopefully minor injuries that have been neatly tended to by Zenyatta. When she spots him she gives him a tip of her hat, and Hanzo nods in greeting.

That’s when Ashe spots Jesse, and when Jesse spots her. For a moment Hanzo panics because he cannot see the protective spell Ashe had cast over herself to prevent Jesse’s curse, even though he's certain it is no longer a threat. Jesse seems nervous too but slowly relaxes as nothing continues to happen. If anything, both Jesse and Ashe seem surprised, and Ashe urgently pats at Bob to help her shuffle over to where Jesse’s plopped himself down in the grass next to Hanzo. Jesse’s ears are perked and he just stares as the warlock and her golem approach him.

Ashe stops a foot from Jesse and crosses her bandaged arms, and immediately scowls. Genji’s grown silent, leaning forward in interest as he waits for whatever is about to happen next. Hanzo, knowing full well how much patience Ashe lacks, leans in closer to Jesse and gives her a pointed look. For a brief moment, her scowl and glare are both directed at him before she turns it back to Jesse.

“You’re a bastard, y’know that?” Ashe growls out through her gritted teeth, pointing one of her fingers at Jesse, “disappearin’ like that. Y’know how long it’s been? How long I’ve been lookin’ for your sorry ass? _Fifty damn years._”

“_Ashe,”_ Hanzo growls out in warning, bristling.

One of Jesse’s hands pats Hanzo’s own gently, and before Ashe can continue her tirade, Jesse’s sat up enough to pull her into a hug. At first, she fights his hold, but then she angrily huffs and wraps her arms tight around Jesse’s neck. Jesse just rumbles softly to comfort.

“You ’n Bob are the only damn family I have, you ass,” Ashe says so quietly that Hanzo nearly misses it.

Jesse just pats her back. “Good to see ya too.” Gently, he releases her from his hold, looking her over, “You look damn good for a ninety-five-year-old, though whatever magics helpin’ with that certainly didn’t do shit for yer personality.”

“Fuck off.” Ashe fires back, and Hanzo’s starting to feel that this is a normal rapport between the two of them. “All I did was end up makin’ some deals,” Ashe says and holds up a hand that crackles with arcane fire, pointedly ignoring Jesse’s shocked stare, before she pointedly looks him over, “_You_ got hit with the short end of the stick for _your _immortally, the _ugly_ stick. Or were you hit with the whole damn tree?”

Hanzo wants to intervene because to him that barb seems like it’s going too far, considering, but then Jesse throws his head back and _laughs._ The sound practically bounces around the clearing, and even Ashe has a hard time not joining in with a quiet snicker of her own.

So this exchange of increasingly rude and pointed barbs is definitely normal for them. Hanzo sends Genji a look accompanied by a thin-lipped smile. Genji just nods in solidarity. At least if they have their differences, they’ve never been so rude to each other as Jesse and Ashe are.

Eventually, Ashe turns to Hanzo and points at Jesse, “You sure you wanna take this fella home t’yer momma? You could find fish with better manners.”

“I am certain, yes,” Hanzo answers, taking Jesse’s hand and looking up at him, “But that indeed is something we need to speak of. How we are to get Jesse into the city. I doubt he desires to stay within these woods a moment more, and I do not desire to leave him alone elsewhere over the winter.”

“Indeed, that may be an issue,” Zenyatta says as he joins the small circle that their group has formed after checking up on Sombra, “I do not think the town guard would regard you with an open mind.”

Jesse grumbles and his ears flick back, and he looks to Ashe, “Well, Miss-I-Got-Friends-In-Infernal-Places, what ‘bout you? You got some tricks up your sleeves to smuggle lil’ ol’ me into the city?”

“Could always turn ya into a lil’ mouse,” Ashe half suggests, half taunts, “Would be a real good way to get some peace an’ quiet too!”

“I’ll just make sure I squeak Hanzo a lil’ mouse love song the entire way back, that’s all,” Jesse responds cheekily with a wide, fanged grin.

Both of them are so quick on the retort that Hanzo makes a mental note not to take part in the verbal jousting. The look on Genji’s face is enough to tell that he’s made the same conclusion. Zenyatta looks as amused as one can without a face. Sombra looks inches away from tossing them all out of her glade so she herself may have peace and quiet.

Though, disguising Jesse as something else is indeed a plan that would work. And it is what they end up deciding on, as it is in Ashe’s ability to do so. It makes Hanzo think though, that if Jesse could be turned into a little cat—as he would not allow himself to be turned into a mouse— what other magics may exist that could be an alternative for Jesse to regain some semblance of his old form.

Hanzo ponders on it for a long while, through their last official night in the woods before they leave. They’d since left the glade to leave Sombra to her recovery under the watchful eye of Symmetra, and have found themselves wandering back to the ruins of the pine grove. It’s mostly for Jesse’s sake that they’ve come here since there might be some things salvageable for him to take with him into town. Though himself and Genji deem most of the items still intact more useful to the survivors back at the monastery than for Jesse’s own use. Jesse’s more than happy to donate the items to his new family.

Eventually, it is time for them all to leave the woods behind. Bob’s got a lot of the stuff recovered from the pine grove strapped to his back as they all walk along the main road through the woods. They all chatter at each other as they walk, a sense of camaraderie settling over the six of them. The main road is still empty, and Hanzo knows that once the rumours start circulating of there no longer being a creature in these woods, that will change.

He steals a glance up at Jesse and reaches for his hand, and Jesse takes it without looking. Jesse’s been glancing around the road as they make their way along it, and Hanzo wonders what must be going through his head. He doesn’t seem nervous, more like he’s deep in thought. Hanzo just gives Jesse’s hand a squeeze and sends him a soft smile when Jesse’s attention turns to him.

Soon enough, they reach the end of the forest, the road framed by two trees that make it look like a large, natural doorway. The rest of the group steps through it, but Hanzo keeps in step with Jesse, who hesitates at the threshold. His three eyes are wide and bright, taking in the world beyond the forest edge that he’s been kept captive from for fifty long years. Jesse turns down to look at Hanzo, so much emotion swimming in his three-eyed gaze. Hanzo tightens his hold on Jesse’s hand and nods up at him encouragingly.

“Together?” Jesse asks softly.

“Together,” Hanzo agrees.

He leans up to steal a kiss before they step through. Jesse rumbles softly and nuzzles Hanzo before they leave the woods hand in hand. Hanzo can see Jesse waiting out of the corner of his eye as they continue to walk along the road, waiting for those same roots to burst from the ground and grasp him and throw him back into the tree line.

Those roots never come. Hanzo watches the relief come over Jesse first, and then the joy so powerful it moves Jesse to tears. Hanzo is moved to tears_ for_ him. They share a look and Hanzo squeezes Jesse’s hand, leans up to kiss the corner of Jesse’s watery smile.

Jesse is finally, truly free.


	32. Family Reprised

Jesse makes a cute cat, Hanzo admits to himself as he adjusts the transformed Jesse in his arms as the group slowly enters the city. Ashe had transformed Jesse only about twenty minutes earlier, when they were still ways out of view of the town guards, into a very fluffy forest cat.

There are still a few visible things that show that Jesse is definitely not a normal cat. He’s still got three eyes, for one thing. Ashe had barked for them all to give her a break, it was her first time transforming someone already under a transformation spell, and it’s apparently really difficult. Hanzo had ignored her rant and immediately had taken the kitty Jesse into his arms, unable to help find it strange that for once he’s the one carrying Jesse.

It’s an adorable disguise though, and the kitty Jesse cuddles into Hanzo’s chest and purrs, his three eyes half-closed. He must be enjoying being carried too, and the guards are none the wiser. It helps that Genji has a friendly rapport with them, with his comings and goings on jobs for the guild. They even ask Genji if he’s just come back from another of the many jobs he’s taken. Genji quips that it was a personal sort of business after a quick glance at Hanzo. Cryptically adding that the guards will probably have more people coming down from this road now that the woods are more convenient to travel through.

It leaves the guards baffled but it means they ignore the strange, three-eyed cat in Hanzo’s arms.

Slowly they move through the town towards the monastery, and before long they finally, _finally _arrive. Just as they step into the courtyard, the dark clouds above spill and the first snow of the season starts to slowly drift down. Jesse opens his eyes and turns up his tiny little kitty head with those three eyes wide as he watches the snowfall in Hanzo’s arms. Hanzo stands out in the courtyard with Jesse for a moment just watching the snowflakes fall.

They are not the springtime petals of Hanamura that Hanzo’s heart aches for, but at this moment, after everything that has transpired and all that he’s survived, the snowflakes are enough to bring Hanzo that same peace. Hanzo’s eyes drift close and tears streak down his face. Jesse shifts in his arms and butts his little kitty face against Hanzo’s chin.

Hanzo can’t help but smile softly, cuddling Jesse close and giving his tiny kitty head a soft smooch between the ears. Jesse purrs and rubs against Hanzo’s chin. Slowly, Hanzo walks into the warmth of the monastery. The group had already entered in front of him, and Ashe waits patiently to reverse her transformation spell on Jesse. Zenyatta has already grabbed the attention of some of the other resident monks to inform them of Jesse’s situation.

Hanzo sets Jesse down and he trots up to Ashe to look up at her expectantly. The warlock starts to chant, and Jesse’s small kitty form starts to sparkle and shift before he slowly turns back into his huge monster self. Jesse shakes himself out when the spell ends. The monks lingering around politely offer to find a bed that would be big enough for Jesse to sleep on for the night. Jesse thanks them shyly, so unused to so many people around at once. Hanzo takes Jesse’s hand again and stands at his side.

“You said your momma wanted ta meet me?” Jesse asks Hanzo softly.

“She does,” Hanzo replies with a soft smile, “She’s going to love you. Come, this way.”

Hanzo leads Jesse through the halls of the monastery to the room where his people have been staying. Slowly he opens the door and peers inside, and a few heads immediately turn his way. Genji slips in first and greats everyone else, whispering to them in their tongue that they’ve returned and they have brought Jesse with them, their mission successful. Hanzo looks to Jesse to check on him, and at Jesse’s nervous little nod, Hanzo pushes the door open and enters the room with Jesse in tow.

There are stares, naturally. Hanzo stands at Jesse’s side and places his free hand on his upper arm, his other hand still holding Jesse’s. Slowly the first of their people approach Jesse, and they thank him for taking care of Hanzo, which Hanzo has to translate for Jesse. Many of the people here were simple farmers or villagers in Hanamura, and they have not been taught the common tongue as Genji and Hanzo have, being the sons of the late Lord Shimada. The monks have been teaching them though, and for that Hanzo is thankful.

“Let the young man breathe, you will have all the time in the world to thank him. Do not overwhelm the poor thing,” Kimiko’s voice rings out, and the group disperses to let their Lady approach Jesse herself, Miss Emi forever at Kimiko’s side.

She stops right in front of Jesse, and even with Jesse towering over her, Kimiko still seems like the tallest person in the room. Jesse even seems to feel her commanding presence even when he’s only just met her, he’s been unconsciously leaning lower down to her level. Kimiko looks him over and then gives a curt nod before she opens her arms to him.

“Allow me to welcome you into our esteemed house, Jesse,” Kimiko says with a mix of warmth and her own grief, greeting Jesse how she would anyone who sought audience with the Lord and Lady at Shimada Castle. It brings a wave of nostalgic grief over Hanzo as well, especially when his mother continues. “I hope you find peace here with us, and that the dragons watch over you.”

Hanzo has to gently nudge Jesse and assure him that Kimiko is indeed offering him a hug. Jesse’s eyes widen and he gently accepts Kimiko’s embrace, and Hanzo can visibly see him melting into her hold. She even runs her fingers through his mane to comfort him, just as she had run her fingers through her sons’ when they were smaller and upset. Hanzo can see the same protectiveness Kimiko holds for him and Genji in her very stature when she interacts with Jesse. She hovers even when the hug ends, and even gently takes one of Jesse’s hands in hers to lead him to sit somewhere more comfortable.

Hanzo walks at Jesse’s side and both sit on one of the straw mattresses together at the far end of the room. Kimiko requests that Miss Emi goes about seeing if the monks would be open to getting some form of celebration going for the boys’ return and Jesse’s safe arrival, and Miss Emi flies into action to do exactly that.

Genji’s helping keep the others occupied by weaving the tale of the woods to let Jesse acclimate to his new surroundings. Hanzo sends him a grateful look across the room. Kimiko is helping Jesse feel at home, telling him tales of the adventures she herself had undergone in her youth. He can see the last of the apprehension Jesse held about Hanzo's family and people accepting slowly leave his form.

Hanzo can’t help but feel relief for Jesse, and for himself. It finally feels like everything is finally going well for them both. There are only a few more loose ends to tie up, and that includes return Genji’s Dragon Sight back to normal. When he gets a moment, and the excitement of their return and Jesse’s arrival has died down, Hanzo pulls Genji aside to go walk the halls of the monastery to speak with his brother.

Getting another dose of the tincture for them both will take time and money, though Genji admits it is not as urgent as taking care of their people first and foremost. Hanzo finds himself agreeing. There is still so much to do to ensure that their people are taken care of. Hanzo promises that once he feels comfortable leaving Jesse’s side more frequently, he will also see about taking jobs at the guild to help Genji acquire funds to care for their people and repay Zenyatta and the rest of the monks for their invaluable aid.

As the conversation flows, they find their way into the courtyard. There is still snow pouring down, the afternoon sun blocked by the dark clouds above. Both brothers soon sit on the lip of the crumbling fountain and watch the snowfall for a quiet few moments. It’s Genji that breaks the silence.

“It’s like the petals back home,” Genji says softly, with a sad wistful smile.

“I thought the same when the snowfall began,” Hanzo admits, watching the big, fluffy snowflakes dance on their way down to the earth. After a moment he quietly adds, “I miss it.”

“Me too,” Genji replies, hanging his head before he lifts it and turns to Hanzo, “I don’t know how you feel, but I want to go back. Maybe not to Hanamura but…”

“Just _back,_” Hanzo finishes, nodding slowly, “I understand, and I too wish to go back. Even though it will never be the same. Hanamura is lost.”

“If we go back though, we don’t even have to rebuild_ Hanamura_,” Genji points out softly after a moment, looking to Hanzo, “We could find another place for a village, somewhere safer, more hidden! Somewhere those slaving bastards can never find.”

“That is going to take resources we do not have,” Hanzo points out, continuing when he notices Genji’s shoulders slump, “At least not _yet_.”

Genji shifts restlessly. “We could eventually get the resources, you and I. Things will go much faster with you here to help me.”

“Of course,” Hanzo agrees, “It might just take some time, though I know we can do it.”

Genji smiles, and he pulls Hanzo into a hug. Hanzo wraps his arms around his brother and hugs him tight. Hanzo gently pats Genji’s back before he pulls away. Genji wipes at the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Hanzo gently reaches over and places a hand on Genji’s shoulder. They’re silent for a few moments, before Genji looks back to Hanzo.

“Are you going to tell me what really happened in the woods?” Genji asks, scuffing at the snow that’s been slowly piling on the ground, “What happened with the Witch, specifically.”

Hanzo just blinks, caught off guard. Genji just looks at him evenly, though he inclines his chin towards Hanzo’s chest. Subconsciously, Hanzo’s hand comes up to rest over where Jesse’s heart beats in his chest.

“You didn’t have _that_ before you faced her,” Genji states, “And your goal was to reverse Jesse’s curse. He’s still in that form. The others are just as curious, I assure you, but for Jesse’s sake I don’t think they desired to ask.”

Ah. So he can see Jesse’s heart with his Dragon’s Sight.

“To put it simply,” Hanzo starts, softly, “I did not leave the battle with the Witch unscathed. Jesse gave me his heart to save my life.”

Genji is silent for a long time, staring at Hanzo. Eventually, he sucks in a quick, harsh breath. His leg is starting to bounce, anxious. Hanzo gently reaches a hand to reassure him that he’s still there at his side.

“Are you going to tell the others?” Genji asks eventually.

“I don’t know.”

“You know that they’re going to want answers as to why Jesse’s cursed form remains as it does.”

“I do," Hanzo sighs, frustrated.

He rubs over his chest, feels the steady beat of Jesse’s heart under his palm. He admits, he had not thought too much about what to tell the others. No doubt they, especially Ashe, will be seeking answers once everything has calmed as to why Jesse’s monster form remains even after the Witch has been dealt with. Hanzo’s not entirely sure how much he trusts them with the information, honestly.

Jesse’s heart is now a powerful arcane artefact. One that grants immortality. The Witch had abused it for her own gain, Hanzo has little doubt that others would too if word got out and the wrong person learned of its capabilities.

“We’re definitely going to have to make sure the village we build is hidden,” Hanzo says, looking at Genji seriously, “Jesse’s heart is powerful, and grants long life.”

“You’re afraid people would come for it.” Genji blinks and he frowns deeply. “No, you _know_ people would come for it.”

Hanzo nods, face grim. He doesn’t know what will happen to him if the heart should be taken, but he knows that he could never let Jesse fall into someone else’s hands again. He lifts his head and fixes Genji with a serious gaze.

“There are other options,” Hanzo begins reluctantly, “when we rebuild a village for our people, Jesse and I could always leave and live elsewhere.”

“Not an option,” Genji retorts quickly, “We all need you with us, you and Jesse both after we rebuild too. Besides, if you two left it would break Mother’s heart.”

“There’s also your Jesse to think of, Hanzo.” Kimiko’s voice drifts into the courtyard from the cracked doorway of the monastery, her face sad but determined. “Would you see him without the family you to which you just introduced him? Would you truly make him hide away again?”

She steps out into the snow to join her sons. Hanzo ducks his head, suddenly ashamed. Kimiko strides up and sits between her sons, pulling Hanzo into her arms. Hanzo curls into his mother’s embrace, letting her rest her head on top of his. Genji presses to Kimiko’s other side to join in on the family embrace.

“I will not see my family ripped apart again,” Kimiko says softly, pulling back from Hanzo and giving him a stern look, “Not when my sons have been returned to me, and not when I have gained another in Jesse. You will stay, and any that come to take the heart you fought so hard for will regret facing the Shimada. And I know the last thing you desire is to give your beloved a family, only to take them away again. Do not let your fear rule you in this way.”

Hanzo nods slowly, “I won’t, my apologies.”

“Do not apologize, Hanzo. Neither Genji nor I can comprehend the burden of what you carry—” Ah, so Kimiko had overheard a good deal of his and Genji’s conversation in the courtyard. “—And I know at this point, there is no way you can either. But we are here, Hanzo. You do not have to protect Jesse and his heart alone. Allow us to protect you both. We are family.”

Hanzo nods, not trusting his own voice. Hanzo wraps his arms around his mother and his brother best that he can. Together, under the gentle falling snowflakes reminiscent of falling petals, they hold close to each other, each contemplating their uncertain future.

Taking no small comfort that no matter what may come next, they are together.


	33. Dreaming

Eventually Hanzo, Genji and Kimiko head back inside the monastery to partake in a makeshift feast the monks make for them later that night, and by the end of the grand supper, Jesse’s even sharing his own tales with everyone. Hanzo shares a smile with his mother, who nods warmly to her son. Quietly, he stands, and after asking Genji and his mother to keep an eye on Jesse in case he becomes uneasy with all the attention, goes to seek out Ashe. She’s been keeping on the edges of the gathering, but her garb and the ever-present Bob aglow with arcane light makes her easy to find.

“If I could speak with you for a moment,” Hanzo asks her as he approaches.

“Sure, shoot,” She says, finally turning from watching Jesse spin his tales to Hanzo.

“It is about Jesse,” Hanzo starts, “And the magic that you are capable of.”

Ashe studies him for a moment, “Ya want me to see if there’s some way for Jesse to turn human again? Since clearly _somthin’_ went wrong with breakin’ the curse.”

Hanzo’s lips thin and he sighs. He fights the urge to reach up and place a hand protectively over Jesse’s heart. Ashe may have her own means of immortality, but it would still be for the best that the secret of Jesse’s heart is kept as close to his chest as possible. The fewer who know, the better.

“In a way, yes you could say that. If you can transform him in such a way, it would be another option for him. I still need to discuss this with him, as it will be his decision since it is his body,”Hanzo replies softly, “But I wished to check that if it would be possible.”

“Hm, it might,” Ashe says after she stares at him for a long few seconds, “Hold on, lemme ask.”

“_Ask_?” Hanzo says, incredulous.

Ashe just holds her finger up to Hanzo as she chews her lip as she thinks. Her other fingers start to tap against her thigh as she squints into the distance, but her gaze is unfocused. Her mouth starts to move, like she is speaking, or at least mouthing words, but it is not a conversation with anyone visible. With his dragons’ sight, Hanzo notices a bright, almost hellish glow start to form next to her, which takes the form of something humanoid and _large_.

The form seems to lean down to Ashe’s level, and a hand is lifted to gently tuck Ashe’s hair out of the way as it whispers something into her ear that only Ashe can hear. The entire thing makes both of Hanzo’s dragons’ hackles raise, and they become uneasy the longer it goes on. Just as suddenly as the figure appeared, it leaves, though there is a brief moment where Hanzo swears that it looked right at him before it did. When Hanzo turns to Ashe, her eyes are on him and finally focused again.

“Well, with how well the kitty disguise went, there’s likely to be unforeseen side effects if we try to cast a transformation directly on Jesse himself,” Ashe begins. She holds up a finger to stop Hanzo when he is about to interject, “_But_, if we were to make a charm or artefact that can _shift_ Jesse’s form _into_ his human form, it might be the workaround we need.”

“That’s great to hear,” Hanzo says, relieved about that at least. The strange figure’s appearance still unnerves him, though.

"Problem is,” Ashe continues while scowling, unaware of Hanzo’s unease, “creatin’ an artefact capable of that? It is gonna be fuckin’ expensive.”

“I’ve nothing but time,” Hanzo points out, “I can come up with the funds, I’m sure.”

Ashe nods, and for a moment she looks like she’s about to ask something of him, but then the look passes and she shrugs it off. Hanzo’s then called back to Jesse’s side by Kimiko. He tells Ashe that there will be more discussion about what all they would need for such an item later as he moves to sit alongside Jesse once more. Hanzo doesn’t think any more about his conspiring with Ashe until much later in the night after the impromptu party ends.

It’s Jesse who brings it up as they lay together, curled up in the corner on two of the straw mattresses pushed together to account for Jesse’s size. Hanzo had been so deep in thought that Jesse has to say his name multiple times to get his attention. Finally, Hanzo looks to Jesse to see what he wants.

“What were ya talkin’ to Ashe ‘bout?” Jesse asks gently, his tail flicking.

Hanzo considers for a moment before he turns in Jesse’s arms to fully face him, reaching up and stroking his face. Jesse leans into his hand and softly rumbles. No one else is awake that Hanzo is aware of, and it is as private space as they will get in the monastery for this conversation. It is one that needs to happen, anyway.

“Are you unhappy?” Hanzo asks gently, “That you’re stuck in this form?”

Jesse blinks, clearly not expecting the question. He seems to think for a while, his tail flicking side to side a little faster. Jesse then looks at Hanzo and cups his face.

“I knew what I was givin’ up when I gave you my heart,” Jesse says simply, “An’ what I’d gain. If I was given the choice again, I would choose you over bein’ human again, no question.”

“That is not what I asked,” Hanzo says with a frown, “so I’ll ask _again_. Does being stuck in this form make you unhappy?”

Jesse seems to take more time to come up with his answer again, eventually meeting Hanzo’s gaze with those softly glowing eyes. He strokes Hanzo’s cheek so gently, those three eyes so warm and full of love.

“You gotta understand, Han,” Jesse begins softly, “I’ve been in this form longer than I ever walked the earth as a human. This body stopped feelin’ unnatural to me a long time ago. Besides, it has its own set of perks.”

To showcase one of the aforementioned perks, Jesse slowly wraps his arms around Hanzo and tucks him in closer to his chest. He softly rumbles and kisses Hanzo’s cheek.

“I like this,” Jesse says gently, “I like how you fit in my arms. _All_ of them. I like that I can pet your hair as I cup your face in my hand, and still have enough arms to hold you tight. The last thing I am is unhappy, Darlin’. Do I miss bein’ human? Sometimes. Missed it a little more today when I couldn’t walk through the town. But even then, your people welcomed me with open arms, an’ I can’t tell ya how happy that makes me.”

Hanzo nods slowly, leans up to kiss Jesse softly. A soft purring rumble starts in Jesse’s chest and when they part, Jesse’s entire face has gone impossibly soft. Hanzo shuffles closer and rests his head on Jesse’s soft chest, wrapping his arm around Jesse to reach and stroke his fingers through his mane.

“I had asked Ashe if she could do something to help you, so I now ask you, would you at least like the option?” Hanzo asks gently, “To shift between forms?”

Jesse rumbles softly, his own hand coming up to stroke through Hanzo’s hair. He’s silent for a while, and Hanzo wonders if he’s fallen asleep before he answers.

“I’d like that if it’s possible,” Jesse says gently, “Would definitely make it easier to go into town an’ buy you all the lil’ trinkets an’ gifts so I can court you right proper~”

Hanzo snorts softly, “Your heart beats in my chest, and we vowed to remain together. We’re practically married, Jesse.”

“All the more reason!” Jesse says with a wide, fanged grin, his tail happily thwapping against the stone floor.

Hanzo gently hushes him lest Jesse wakes the others, but he can’t keep his own smile off his face. He gives a soft, considering hum of his own. His hand comes up under his clothing to grasp the carving of the stone dragon Jesse gave him, rubbing along the scales.

“We should have a proper wedding then, I think,” Hanzo whispers, pulling the dragon pendant out of his shirt, “I would love to try to make you one of these myself, for you to wear. Show others that you’re mine. Show that we belong to each other.”

Jesse’s eyes are large and luminous in the dark, and his tail thwaps faster against the ground. The happy rumble in his chest grows loud and he leans in and kisses Hanzo softly. Hanzo can’t help but smile against Jesse’s soft kiss.

“I take it that you like that idea,” Hanzo whispers softly after he gently hushes Jesse again.

“I do,” Jesse says softly before he kisses Hanzo again, adding after he pulls away, “I would love to have a proper lil’ ceremony. I would love t’wear anything you make me.”

“You’ll have to teach me to carve,” Hanzo points out, stroking hair out of Jesse’s face, “I can make my own arrows, but I doubt I could carve stone like you can.”

“I’ll teach ya,” Jesse replies softly, “Winter is just startin’ so we'll have lots o’ time. Could use the winter ta practise, and then maybe we could have a proper ceremony in the spring.”

“I’d like that,” Hanzo responds, “Maybe we could even hold it in the month of blooming.” At Jesse’s perked ears and clear interest, Hanzo continues, voice full of nostalgia and longing, “In Hanamura, the sakura would bloom at that time of year, early in the spring. We would throw a festival when the flowers were in full bloom. Many couples wed during that time.”

Hanzo’s face falls, his heart aching for his lost home with the memories of happier times that feel so far away from a stone room full of refugees in a monastery. Jesse rumbles softly and strokes Hanzo’s face and rubs his back comfortingly. Gently, he pulls Hanzo even closer, and Hanzo curls into Jesse, to quiet himself should his sorrow overcome him and choke him with sobs. 

“We could wait,” Jesse says softly after a while, “We could have a proper ceremony when we make it back to your homeland, under the flowers.”

“Are you certain? We don’t even know when we’d be able to go back,” Hanzo says softly, “It doesn’t seem fair to you to wait for flowers that really only mean something to me."

“I wanna understand though,” Jesse replies softly, “I wanna share the flowers with you, understand why they mean what they do to you. I already have you, an’ you already got me, anythin’ else we end up doin’ is just because we wanna.” Jesse cups Hanzo’s cheek, so gently, “I wanna build a _home_ with you, wanna share it an’ everythin’ with you.”

“I want that too,” Hanzo says softly, flooded with warmth and affection.

He leans up enough to kiss Jesse, cupping his face and stroking a thumb through Jesse’s beard. Jesse softly rumbles in his chest, nuzzling Hanzo gently when the kiss ends. Those four arms curl around Hanzo tighter, and he sighs softly in contentment at the warm embrace.

“Genji and I talked, we’re going to work on getting resources to rebuild. Build a village somewhere hidden away and safe back in our homeland.” Hanzo nuzzles into Jesse’s chest. “Where _all_ of us can be safe. It’s going to take a long time, but it needs to be done.” Hanzo lifts his head and locks eyes with Jesse, mouth set in determination. “We need a _home _again, and I want to build it with you too.”

“Sounds like you an’ Genji are gonna get this all figured out,” Jesse says, pride evident in his face and voice, “I’ll be right here with ya, supportin’ you both every step o’ the way however I can."

“You can start by being quiet, going to sleep and letting us rest!” Genji pipes up from across the room.

Jesse barks a startled laugh that Hanzo quickly hushes, though he’s no better, trying to muffle his own snickers. He shares a mischievous look with Jesse, and shuffles enough to grab one of the pillows they’d been using. Hanzo’s not going to need it anyway with Jesse and all his softness to snuggle up to. He peeks up over Jesse’s considerable mass and looks for Genji in the dark, easy to spot with his own Dragon Sight and the presence of Genji’s own dragon.

It’s too easy to throw the pillow clear across the room and smack Genji in the face, who squawks indignantly. Thankfully the sound is muffled by the pillow.

“Don’t eavesdrop,” Hanzo scolds flatly before he ducks back down behind Jesse to hide from any retaliation.

“I didn’t realize my sons are grown men but still act like small children,” Kimiko muses in the dark before Genji can say anything, “Do I need to scold you both like I did when you _were _children?”

Thoroughly chastised, both Hanzo and Genji quietly grumble to themselves and settle back down to sleep. Hanzo has to hide a small, sudden smile in Jesse’s softly shaking chest, his lover’s laughter just barely muffled. Hanzo gently hushes Jesse one last time before he settles down for sleep. Warm in Jesse’s embrace, surrounded by his family, it comes to him easily.


	34. Working Towards Home

The winter is long, but it is not cold, not to Hanzo. It’s long, but it’s warm, surrounded by friends and family and Jesse. Though they still do not have much aside from what the monks generously provide and Hanzo and Genji themselves can get by completing odd jobs around the city and a few for the guild. Some of the other survivors, once recovered from their own ordeals, also look for whatever work they can.

Slowly, they begin to save up what they can to purchase transport so they all can travel out of the city and back to their homeland. Getting back there is their first priority, and from there seeking a new place to stay while they seek a place to lay the foundations for a village. Sets of set goals to work towards.

Jesse does what he can to help too, though it’s limited to what he can from inside the monastery until they can get him the means to shift forms. Often it means helping Hanzo tend to any wounds he comes home inflicted with from the more dangerous guild hunts he and Genji undertake. Though Jesse’s heart seems to have an effect on how well and fast the wounds heal, Hanzo’s beloved still chooses to fret over him.

Hanzo would be lying if he said he didn’t welcome the attention, admittedly. Jesse’s so gentle and thorough while he bandages Hanzo up, often making comforting rumbles when the shallow scrapes throb and make Hanzo wince. Jesse’s also fond of kissing things better, which Hanzo also welcomes. Genji often tells them to get a more private room to spare him from their lovey-dovey looks and touches and endearments.

Hanzo gets his own jabs in, teasing Genji to do the same when he fawns over Zenyatta.

It feels good to be around his family and friends in their small little group of survivors. That too, however, is growing as their funds slowly do. Sometimes on their ventures to other towns for guild work, he and Genji come across some of their displaced people. Slowly their numbers bolster as the winter draws on, and it both saddens and brings Hanzo joy that some of those they locate again are the village children.

So many tears are shed when Genji and Hanzo bring them back to their temporary home, and while parts of families are now reunited, some of the found children are still left without their parents. Kimiko and Miss Emi take it upon themselves to watch over them and care for the children who are left waiting for news or the return of their families. Jesse ends up helping as well, though it’s often because the children flock to him at times.

Especially in the late hours when the children have night terrors about the ruination of Hanamura. Hanzo has witnessed as much the nights he stays at the monastery between jobs. When they wake from their night terrors, the children seek out Jesse in the dark. He’s apparently bigger and scarier than anything that haunts them at night, the children said so when Kimiko asked. Jesse doesn’t seem to mind the comments, just glad that the kids find some form of comfort in his presence.

Jesse also shuffles his and Hanzo’s larger mattress into the middle of the room so the kids don’t step over others while they make their way to the corner where Jesse curled up to sleep before. Hanzo’s content, either way, not truly caring where he sleeps as long as he’s in Jesse’s arms.

It makes Hanzo’s heart warm when he wakes and sees Jesse curled up next to him with some of the small Hanamuran children sounds asleep draped over his back. The youngest, a small little girl named Akari, often cozies into Jesse’s mane and by the morning’s light, she’s usually got two fistfuls of Jesse’s fur clutched tight her hands. Jesse never seems to mind the tugs to his mane as Hanzo gently coaxes the little girl to let go when he gently pulls her off of Jesse’s back and hands her back to her mother so they can go eat breakfast.

He often catches himself thinking about such an occurrence becoming a regular thing when they make their own homestead one day. If it did, it would mean that he and Jesse would have a family of their own. It has not come up in conversation between them just yet since they have so many other obstacles to overcome first, but it is a conversation Hanzo finds himself looking forward to when they can have it.

Jesse is wonderful with the children, and Hanzo has no doubt that Jesse wants the chance to give whoever should need them a loving home. They just need _a home _first before that dream can be realized_._

That goal being the farthest off doesn’t stop Hanzo from daydreaming about the homestead and family that he can envision in his mind as the winter wears on. When he gets time to practice carving with Jesse, he asks if Jesse would teach him how to carve toys for the children. Its apparently custom here on this side of the world at the height of winter to exchange gifts to brighten spirits on the darkest winter day. Hanzo feels it is just what the Hanamuran children need, a little moment of bright joy after so much darkness.

Jesse takes to the task, and teaching Hanzo along the way, with much enthusiasm. Slowly both he and Hanzo make as many toys as they can for the kids, carvings of little animals made out of softwood. It’s the best they can do right now with their limited budget. Genji even joins in when he can, helping them find somewhere in the monastery to hide the gifts from the kids so they can surprise them.

It is well worth the effort and all the nicks from the carving knife Hanzo had to suffer through. The children love their gifts when the time comes to give them. Hanzo leans on the wall and watches Akari chase around another child with a little carved dog. Jesse comes to stand near him, soon gently coaxing Hanzo to lean back into his arms so he can set his big head down on Hanzo’s shoulder. Hanzo just relishes in the moment, wrapped up in Jesse’s arms.

He’s got his own surprise for Jesse, which he gifts to him soon when they can get a private moment. They find a private hallway in the monastery to duck into away from the party. Most of the monks are away for the night tending to those in need in the city with the exception of a few, which means Jesse and Hanzo have more privacy than they’ve had for weeks.

Therefore it really doesn’t surprise Hanzo that Jesse immediately picks him up and gently presses his back against one of the walls the first chance he gets, one of his large hands cradled behind Hanzo’s head. Hanzo welcomes the kisses Jesse begins to shower him in happily, touches Jesse just as greedily as his beloved is touching him. Yet, before Jesse can distract Hanzo further, he gently shoves his beloved’s head away from where Jesse has begun to nip and kiss after he tugged down Hanzo’s haori enough to bare his skin.

Jesse grumbles but he lifts his head and nuzzles Hanzo before he rests his forehead against Hanzo’s. He places a kiss to the tip of Jesse’s nose before he starts digging through his pockets, soon finding what he seeks. He pulls out a small leather bag and holds it out to Jesse.

Jesse’s ears perk, his interest piqued, and he adjusts Hanzo in his arms to free two of his hands so he can open the bag. Hanzo helps support himself by wrapping an arm around Jesse’s neck so he can still watch Jesse’s reaction to the gift, resting his cheek against Jesse’s as his large hands fumble with the small bag.

Eventually, the gift is pulled from the confines of the bag. It’s a carving of a stone dragon, a blue-grey blue stone dragon curled around a bright orange crystal held safely in it’s claws. The dragon’s tail is carved so it makes a loop for a leather cord to be pulled through, which Hanzo has done. Jesse is silent as he takes in the gift, and immediately he tries to put it on.

Hanzo helps him slide the cord over his head when it briefly gets stuck on his broken horn. Before long the pendant is situated perfectly, and Jesse’s large fingers trail over the coils and curves of the dragon. He looks to Hanzo, and then gently kisses him.

“It’s beautiful, thank ya,” Jesse whispers softly when the kiss ends, “You carve it yourself?”

“In part, yes,” Hanzo admits, “but I had help from a certain Nymph who resides in the mountains.”

At Jesse’s raised eyebrows Hanzo continues, “Genji and I were contracted to hunt a creature who lives in the mountains. While I had the chance, I sought Symmetra’s help to find the perfect stone to carve for you. She even helped me think of the design, and even created the crystal within the stone for me.”

Jesse rumbles softly, lifting the stone dragon to look it over in his massive hand again, his expression impossibly soft. Hanzo smiles and gently urges Jesse into another kiss. He can tell Jesse’s getting amorous, even more so with the meaning behind the gift, but Hanzo has to gently stop his beloved again. There’s more to the pendent than Jesse knows.

“Genji and I also managed to take some of the more dangerous hunts, ones many can’t take because the creatures can effect you much like how your curse of madness worked,” Hanzo explains softly, gently cupping Jesse’s face when he begins to look worried, “We’re more than fine, don’t worry. We’re just taking advantage of the tincture sight. Such hunts are very lucrative. As such,” Hanzo gently takes the stone dragon pendant and flips it over, showing Jesse the arcane runes on the underbelly of the dragon, “I had enough gold from those hunts to afford to have this enchanted.”

He watches the emotions slowly cross Jesse’s face as he pieces what Hanzo means together. Those three eyes widen in shock and the faintest glimmer of hope.

“You mean—“

“Ashe just finished the runes a few days ago,” Hanzo says, smiling wide, “I was hoping we could test it out tonight, and that you’d walk through the city in the snow with me tonight to join in the festivities going on.”

Jesse nods furiously, excited and fumbling a little as he reaches to take the pendant from Hanzo, “O’course! How does this thing work?”

Hanzo relays to Jesse what Ashe had told him. Jesse listens intently, and then after a moment of deliberation, gently sets Hanzo down.

“Don’t wanna drop ya,” Jesse admits sheepishly as he takes a few cautionary steps away from Hanzo.

Hanzo merely nods and waits as Jesse concentrates on the pendant in his hands and starts to murmur the spell. Hanzo can see the arcane runes on the dragon light up where they’re visible in his Dragon Sight, and the runes slowly start to circle Jesse before his entire form is alight in a bright flash of arcane energy. Hanzo has to rub his eyes as a result and when he opens them again, Jesse’s form has shrunk into a much smaller humanoid form.

Hanzo immediately rushes to his side to check him over, and the stunned Jesse stares at him from in the middle of a pile of his now oversized fabric and serape. He’s staring at his hands, stunned, turning over just the two he has in this form. Hanzo watches him flex his fingers that are still clawed, though the claws are much shorter. His hair is long, and in need of a brush, and when Hanzo gently brushes it out of his face, Jesse’s ears are shorter but still pointed rather cutely. Only two brown eyes look up at Hanzo in disbelief, but with his Dragon Sight, Hanzo can see the third still hovering over Jesse’s forehead.

“Guess it worked, huh,” Jesse states simply, though Hanzo can tell he’s still processing the human disguise, “How do I look?”

“Adorable,” Hanzo answers, unable to stop himself from tracing the shell of Jesse’s pointed ear gently with a finger, “_Very_ adorable.”

“The _human_ kinda adorable?” Jesse retorts with a smile as he presses his head into Hanzo’s hand. The smile shows off Jesse’s much smaller but still present fangs.

“Yes,” Hanzo shuffles closer so he’s nearly sitting in Jesse’s lap, “Though you’re _always_ adorable.”

Jesse smiles a little shy smile and gently leans in to kiss Hanzo. It’s a little strange to kiss him when he’s nearly the same size as Hanzo is, if only a little taller than him. When they pull away Hanzo steals another kiss and gently cups Jesse’s face in his hands.

“Do you feel confident enough in this disguise to walk out in the snow with me?” Hanzo asks gently.

Jesse nods, smile wide and eager and eyes bright. Though that smile turns a little sheepish when he tries to stand with Hanzo’s help and nearly trips over himself. Hanzo gently rights him and Jesse leans on him to rest his head on his shoulder.

“You might have to help me, Sweetheart,” Jesse admits, “I don’t think my body has caught up with the fact that the other two arms an’ tail don’t exist in this form an’ my balance feels way off.”

“You can lean on me as much as you want,” Hanzo replies gently, helping Jesse walk through the monastery so they can find him some better fitting clothing for the evening.

Soon enough Jesse’s dressed up in borrowed clothes, some that fit well and some that do not. The point is that he’s warm and ready for an evening out in the snow with Hanzo. They decide to take the serape with them, which Jesse openly admits is enchanted itself, and if he chooses it could be made smaller. They choose to let it stay the size it is when Jesse wears it in his monster form if only to be able to walk close wrapped up in it together as they walk.

They spend all night well into the morning out and about, taking in the city’s gentle glowing lamplights and how the snow sparkles in the moonlight. Jesse’s amorous mood returns as the night begins to wind down, and he and Hanzo find a private alley to duck into. Wrapped up tight in Jesse’s serape together, they steal kisses and greedy touches, and Jesse still seems to be able to make the happy little whines he makes when he’s in his monster form.

They make do what they can with no other supplies and their need to remain discreet, tucked away into the alley as they are. It means that they have to shuffle their pants as down low as they can, and after coaxing Jesse’s cock out of the sheath he still has even in his human disguise, they press as close as they can so Jesse can fuck between Hanzo’s thighs. Jesse’s hand is warm and teasing around Hanzo’s cock, and their lips are near-constantly locked in kisses that alternate between deep and passionate and slow and sweet.

It’s close and intimate, and after so much time unable to find a moment to share pleasure together, neither of them last long. After cleaning up the best that they can, they merely hold close to one another under a starry winter sky before they start to head back to the monastery.

Jesse uses the pendant to shift back into his monster form when they are back in the warmth and safety of the monastery. When they curl up to sleep, Jesse thanks Hanzo again and gives him sleepy kisses, holding Hanzo tight in all four of his arms as he is want to do. His happily flicking tail is a cute little _thwap thwap_ against the floor that Hanzo drifts off to sleep to.

After the holiday passes, Hanzo and Genji decide to head to the guild after a brief moment of respite for more jobs. Before they can leave though, Jesse’s hand finds Hanzo’s, and when he turns he finds Jesse in his human form. He’s all dressed up for the cold weather, his serape tight around his shoulders. Prepared for a journey, just like Hanzo and Genji are, just in case their work takes them far away.

“I think yer mother an’ Miss Emi got this place runnin’ like a dream with all the monks’ help,” Jesse says, stepping up to Hanzo, “An’ I think it’s about time I pulled my weight. It’s gonna take both of us to see our dreams through, yeah?”

Hanzo can only nod, squeezing Jesse’s hand. Jesse smiles wide and ducks in close to press a quick kiss to Hanzo’s cheek before they head out. Hand in hand and with Genji following closely behind, they continue to make the strides they need to. With so many steps already behind them, Hanzo feels confident that they will reach their goals.

All they can do is keep moving towards them.


	35. Under the Sakura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains smut!  
Specifically, sheath fucking with some body worship!

Winter becomes Spring, Spring becomes Summer and then the Autumn follows. One year becomes two, and when the Winter’s snow at the start of the third year starts to thaw, Genji and Hanzo and Jesse finally go to procure carts and horses for their journey. Finally, after much hard work, they had enough to buy supplies for the long travel ahead, and what they would need to start rebuilding once a new site for a village was chosen.

They had more help than they ever could need too. More of their people had been found, the children without a family to care for them are reunited with older cousins or their aunts and uncles. Those who were widowed or single even found love in the city, and their spouses decided to follow the Hanamurans back to their homeland.

Even after a good few months of dancing around each other, Zenyatta and Genji are an item, and the monk has agreed to follow them back. Zenyatta is not the only monk either, a small group is travelling with them to help with the rebuilding efforts. Hanzo can’t express how eager he is to get going, and can tell that the others are as well.

Kimiko especially.

His father’s great purple dragon still is diligently at her side, even now as she is helped into one of the carts by Miss Emi. Hanzo quickly checks up on his mother, spurring his own horse he’d purchased for ease of travel for guild jobs to the side of the cart to reach down and place a hand on his mother’s shoulder. She places her own hand over his and gives him a proud smile before Hanzo moves on.

Genji’s got his own horse too that he’s leading closer to the front of their little caravan to ready for travel. Hanzo, Genji, and a handful of others have their own horses, as they are acting as an escort for the caravan. Jesse chooses to ride in the cart with the children, to defend them if the caravan is attacked while on the road.

Hanzo locks eyes with him briefly as he rides past, gives his human disguised beloved a smile. Jesse sends the smile back, briefly distracted from a conversation with Ashe and Bob who had come to bid them farewell. Hanzo rolls his eyes as he hears Ashe snap at Jesse for not paying attention to her _heartfelt_ goodbye and getting so easily distracted by Hanzo.

The warlock stops by him before she moves to help open the gate of the monastery’s courtyard to let the caravan through.

“Keep that asshole from gettin’ into _more_ trouble, yeah?” Ashe starts as Bob steps up behind her, blinking his agreement, “An’ don’t you two be strangers.”

“I promise we will visit when we are able,” Hanzo answers, giving Ashe a little bow out of respect.

Ashe gives him a nod and one last little wave, and steps toward the gate. Soon the gates are swinging open, and after one more check through everyone, the horses are urged forward, and finally, _finally_ they set out towards home.

The first few days of travel sees them moving through the woods. Hanzo can’t help but let his horse fall into pace with the cart Jesse is riding in, sharing a look with Jesse. His brown eyes are distant, deep in thought when their gazes break apart as the carts move along the road. Hanzo just lets his own eyes fall closed.

He listens to the wind through the trees, hears the distant calls of birds. A small smile comes to his face as the scent of pine hits his nose. When he opens his eyes again to the twilit hues of the spirit realm, the wind kicks up and a shower of purple petals float across the path. Hanzo smiles in response.

He reaches and offers his hand to Jesse and Jesse reaches back and gives Hanzo’s hand a gentle squeeze. Oh, how far they’ve both come. Hanzo can’t help but feel proud of them both, _for_ them both, for overcoming everything that came to pass behind them. Now there’s nothing but the road ahead and a bright future to match. Hanzo won’t accept any less.

Days of travel turn into weeks. The cold spring slowly warms, and before they all know it, they have finally crossed back into their homeland. Hanzo has to stop his horse just to take in everything. Already, there are the slowly growing sprouts of barely visible pink in some of the trees along the road, vibrant even against the purple hues of the Dragon Sight. They’ve made it just in time. Just in time for Hanzo to share the flowers with Jesse. They’ve waited so long to watch them bloom together.

But first the hardest part of their journey. Scouting out a new home.

The first step in that direction is getting their supplies restocked and finding work in some of the small villages along the road as they travel. Bolstering their supplies of lumber and other building essentials, as well as scouting out builders. Kimiko handles most of that, meeting with Lords and Ladies of the larger villages they come across for aid while her sons find somewhere new to lay their foundations.

Genji and Hanzo think they found it, just when the flowers are starting to blossom. Completely by accident too, they had only meant to be out hunting for dinner, trying to chase down a deer that Hanzo shot at with an arrow. The creature had run into a cave, and the brothers had expected to find the deer cornered inside, instead, they found it not to be a cave at all but a tunnel right through a mountainside, so out of the way and hidden they would have missed it entirely if not for the deer.

They find a vast hidden forest on the other side of the tunnel, wild and overgrown, with sakura trees speckled amidst the dense trees that travel up hillsides that overlook the entire forested area. Hanzo only could look in stunned disbelief to Genji, and Genji mirrored the look right back, and then they both had immediately spurred their horses around to go tell the others what they had found.

They return with a larger scouting party, and this hidden forest turns out to be exactly what they’ve been looking for. There is a spring that feeds the river that in turn feeds the lush forest and runs through the area. The land is fertile and would take crops with ease according to one of the farmers they brought along. Most importantly, it is hidden. Through his Dragon Sight, Hanzo can see the many spirits that reside here. It all feels like a gift.

Before they begin work on clearing out space for homes and farmland, they leave out offerings to the spirits here, thanking them for providing a safe space. Hanzo can tell that they are pleased with what they have been offered, and that good fortune will continue to come to his people.

And what a better way to settle into a new home than with a wedding?

Only the beginnings of a few homesteads have been erected as quickly as they can be before the sakura around them come into full bloom and their petals start to gently shower down. The building crews are allowed to pause for the day to instead prepare a celebratory feast when Kimiko gathers Hanzo, Jesse and Genji under the boughs of the tallest of the sakura trees, a woven _Shimenawa _already bound around the trunk after Hanzo had pointed it out to be the dwelling place for many of the spirits here.

With only their immediate family close, Hanzo and Jesse are wed underneath the falling petals of a sacred sakura tree. Jesse has ducked down as low as he can, lest his horns catch on the lowest branches and send a shower of petals down. Both dressed in men’s wedding kimono, Jesse’s made especially for his massive form by the seamstresses just for this occasion. Hanzo thinks he cuts a handsome figure, and his staring is called out by Kimiko, who scolds her son into paying attention again. Her smile is warm and proud even despite having to scold her eldest on his wedding day.

With soft pink petals floating down around them, Hanzo and Jesse repeat the vows they made to one another, and then Hanzo gently walks Jesse through the Sake drinking ritual. All the while trying not to let it be known through his laughter that seeing the smallest of the three sake cups in Jesse’s massive clawed hands brings him such joy. When they complete their ritual, Kimiko congratulates them on their union. Genji gives Hanzo and Jesse both hugs and also congratulates them.

That night there is much celebration, and Jesse and Hanzo spend the evening surrounded by their friends and family. When the celebration dwindles down, Jesse and Hanzo walk the moonlit paths of the forest to claim the area of their homestead, having agreed to do so after the wedding they had waited so long to have.

They pick a quiet little corner of this forest for themselves, a little patch of land with a smaller stream running close by and a small cluster of the sakura trees Hanzo loves so much. They curl up together under the stars and the falling petals and talk about the home they’ll make until they fall asleep.

Jesse starts working on their home the next day, with a few more builders they hired from a neighbouring village that arrived early that morning. Hanzo helps where he can, which is helping Jesse work on the layout of their home. They need to build it a little bigger than usual, to account for Jesse's size, as he is still more comfortable in his monster form.

Hanzo goes to one of the nearby villages the next morning after to gather more supplies for their new settlement, and while there he also buys some treats for the children and for him and Jesse to share. Sakura mochi is a treat he’s been dying to share with Jesse, and after returning to their settlement, he packs up a large basket with two of the mochi, some other food and fruit, sake and a blanket. Hanzo manages to steal Jesse away from his building tasks for a much-needed lunch break.

Hanzo leads Jesse a good distance away up to one of the hillsides, soon finding a good spot at the base of one of the sakura trees. Jesse helps set out the blanket, his tail flicking about excitedly, eager for the treat Hanzo has promised him. As soon as they’re both settled, Hanzo pulls out the food and the sake to share with his husband.

He has to feed Jesse with the chopsticks, they are too small for Jesse’s massive hands. It just makes their private moment all the sweeter, Jesse’s been wearing a big dreamy smile and his tail has been happily flicking around. Every time Hanzo explains what something is and offers it to Jesse, his ears perk and his tail flicks faster, and he hums happily as he takes the food from Hanzo’s chopsticks.

Finally, Hanzo can share the mochi when most of the other food is gone, and he eagerly digs the little round rice cakes from inside the basket and offers one to Jesse. It’s hilariously small in Jesse’s hands, but he looks enamoured with the cute pink treat. Hanzo has to laugh when Jesse asks if he’s supposed to eat the leaf the pink mochi is wrapped in.

“Yes, if you’d like to try it with the mochi.” Hanzo points out, unable to hide his smile when Jesse immediately chomps down on half of the treat with his tail flicking behind him wildly in his joy.

Hanzo has to hide his snort when he watches Jesse’s face, seeing the journey his husband takes as the saltiness of the pickled sakura leaf hits Jesse’s tongue first, then the rice and then the red bean paste at the centre. Jesse makes a thoughtful little rumble in his chest before he looks to Hanzo. He only returns Jesse’s look innocently, pulling aside the pickled leaf so he can enjoy the sweet mochi on its own. Jesse squints at him as Hanzo takes the first bite of his own treat.

“Eating the leaf is just a matter of preference,” Hanzo admits, smiling playfully, “How else was I supposed to see if you liked it with or without the leaf? I prefer my salty and my sweet flavours apart than together.”

Jesse rumbles thoughtfully, though he looks down to the remains of the mochi in his hand. He then strokes through his beard thoughtfully, looking back to Hanzo as he takes another bite of his own mochi.

“Might need another taste b’fore I decide, though I admit I kinda wanna see how it tastes another way.”

Hanzo absentmindedly licks his lips as he sends Jesse a questioning look. Jesse takes the opportunity to catch an unsuspecting Hanzo off guard, gently tipping Hanzo’s chin up so he may kiss him. Chastely at first, before he deepens the kiss, chasing the taste of the sweet mochi and Hanzo. Kissing Hanzo passionately until he’s breathless.

“I think that might be the way I prefer to taste it,” Jesse rumbles low and suggestively as they part, winking one of his large luminous eyes at the stunned and flushed Hanzo.

“I see,” Hanzo states simply after composing himself, finishing off the remaining bite of his mochi and licking his lips again, trailing his eyes over Jesse’s body.

He also finally eats the leaf, licking the lingering salty taste off of his fingers. Jesse watches him do so with much interest, his tail no longer flicking about like a very excitable puppy but the slow little flicks of a hunter lying in wait. Jesse’s half eaten mochi seems almost forgotten where he’s still holding it in his massive hands.

“Are you going to finish what you’ve started?” Hanzo retorts low and suggestively, looking pointedly to the mochi.

Jesse doesn't miss the double meaning and promptly pops the remaining bite of his mochi into his mouth, leaf and all, and reaches for Hanzo after he’s finished the treat. Hanzo goes to his husband eagerly, settling happily into Jesse’s arms. Jesse’s kiss is salty sweet, and maybe the combined flavours aren’t so bad after all in the right context, Hanzo decides.

His hands find their way into Jesse’s mane, tugging him into more kisses, wanting Jesse to be impossibly closer. Hanzo keeps shuffling restlessly in Jesse’s arms until Jesse helps him find a better position, one where he can grind his hips down against Jesse’s massive thigh. Jesse rumbles softly at Hanzo’s motions, one of his large hands coming to rest on the small of Hanzo’s back, his long fingers following the curve of Hanzo’s ass. The touch of his claws so light yet Hanzo knows that if Jesse chose to, he could easily tear through Hanzo’s hakama with the slightest pressure.

When Hanzo parts from Jesse to gasp at a particularly delicious slide of his hips, he finds himself unable to look away from Jesse’s lidded eyes. All three of his eyes are absolutely brimming with adoration and affection and desire, and Hanzo knows for a fact that Jesse can see the same in the star-filled depths of his own.

“You’re exquisite,” Hanzo finds himself whispering breathily, cupping Jesse’s face in his hands, “My Heart, my Jesse.”

Jesse’s eyes widen and he rumbles, his ears flicking back, suddenly shy. Hanzo immediately trails one hand up Jesse’s jaw to trace his fingers over the sensitive shell of Jesse’s ear. It flicks at his touch, and Hanzo lifts up enough to kiss along Jesse’s jaw and nip at that same ear, chuckling low when it twitches under the attention. There’s a low whine Jesse makes to accompany every little playful nip to his ears that Hanzo gives.

“I mean it, you know,” Hanzo whispers, lowering himself back down to continue a slow, easy grind against Jesse’s thigh. He makes sure to plant his feet solidly on the ground, one leg firm between Jesse’s own legs to give him something to grind against too. “You’re _wonderful_, My Heart. Every part of you.”

Hanzo tugs at the serape around Jesse’s shoulders, driven by the sudden, overwhelming need to see his husband bare before him. Jesse gets the hint, helping Hanzo undress him, tossing his clothing haphazardly aside. Hanzo follows suit, shedding his haori and hakama and slotting himself back right where he’d been before. Jesse bucks his hips, grinding against Hanzo’s leg, whining softly. Hanzo can feel the heat of Jesse’s sheath against his leg, and he bites his lip, a question about a long burning desire of his on his tongue.

In due time, though, good things come to those who wait and Hanzo is not nearly done worshipping his husband. He trails his hands up Jesse’s furred chest, relishing in the feeling of warm skin and velvet fur under his palms. Jesse dips his head, seeking Hanzo’s kiss, which he grants him gladly.

“Shall I tell you my favourite parts of you?” Hanzo purrs when the kiss breaks.

Jesse's cheeks darken a lovely shade of red, but he nods, stroking Hanzo’s cheek with a large knuckle, his touch so adoring. Hanzo’s is equally adoring as he trails his hands higher up Jesse’s chest, closing his eyes as his hands begin to once more trail a familiar path taken so long ago on a cold winter’s eve.

His hands trail lightly over Jesse’s neck, feeling the way Jesse shudders when the featherlight touch moves over sensitive skin. Hanzo follows his fingers with his mouth for a brief interruption of his own goal, nipping and kissing at the skin while Jesse whines softly. Those four incredibly strong but so careful arms fold around Hanzo and hold him tight.

“Never felt so safe as I did when I was with you out in the forest,” Hanzo murmurs against Jesse’s neck, “nestled on your back, my arms around your neck as you carried me. You became my rock when I needed something to ground me.”

Hanzo’s hands travel up through Jesse’s mane, his lips pulling up into a smile as Jesse rumbles softly in response. Jesse’s mane is still thick from the winter under his hands, no doubt it will thin with the approach of summer. Hanzo runs his fingers through Jesse’s mane, over and over. Mimicking the movements of the brush he’d run through it while listening to the deep drawl of Jesse’s voice as he read to him.

“I love brushing your mane,” Hanzo continues, “and how you trusted me not to hurt you when you first let me. How you continue to trust in me to not cause you harm. I had no one to trust, not after all that happened, and I was not eager to trust in you. But you won me over, and your trust bought mine. I promise to never betray it.”

Hanzo feels Jesse nudge at his cheek with his nose gently, no doubt wanting kisses. Hanzo uses his own nose to help himself find Jesse’s cheek to press a kiss there, his eyes still closed. Murmuring for Jesse to be patient. There is so much left to say.

Hanzo's hands move down Jesse’s jaw, and he smooches Jesse’s nose before his hand continue their journey up towards Jesse’s ears. Which he immediately rubs, chuckling softly as they twitch in his hold.

“You know I_ adore_ these,” Hanzo says, a playful smirk crossing his features. Hanzo feels the breath Jesse releases in a fond, exasperated huff tousle the loose strands of his hair. “They’re one of your cutest features.”

Hanzo lifts up enough to trail kisses along Jesse’s jaw again and to nibble at one of his ears, huffing a small laugh when it twitches at the attention. He lets up and presses his cheek to Jesse’s, feels how hot his husband’s cheeks have warmed with his blush. Hanzo’s tempted to open his tinctured eyes right then and there to take in the sight of his beloved so flushed, but he fights the temptation to continue showering Jesse in praise as he means to.

“When I had no one else who understood the pain of what I lost, you listened. I told you tales of the family I was displaced from, ones that brought me joy and ones that brought me sorrow. Let me express my pain. I can never express how thankful I am for you lending your ears. Your _very_ adorable ears.”

Jesse snorts, and it’s followed by a watery chuckle. Hanzo can feel how Jesse’s cheek has rounded with his smile where his is still pressed against it. Feels the tears of joy that Jesse is shedding. Hanzo turns his face enough to kiss the salty tears away as his hands continue ever onward. Past his ears and over the curl of Jesse’s horns, tracing the break of the left horn as he speaks lowly again.

“And you shared your pain with me, shared all that had happened to you. Let me offer you my comfort and lend my ears as you had done for me,” Hanzo says gently, “and then we faced _her_ together. You and me. We’ve made it so far, My Heart, and now we’re making a life and home together.”

Jesse rumbles and he interrupts Hanzo with a kiss. Hanzo accepts it readily, though he smiles through the entire kiss. Jesse’s hands move over his body possessively, those claws dragging over his skin and causing Hanzo to shudder eagerly. He’s growing impatient too, admittedly, but still can’t pass up raining praise over his beloved husband.

Hanzo’s hands trail back down Jesse’s face when they part, stroking the corner of Jesse’s eyes. Over his nose, that Hanzo kisses the tip of, and then his lips. Hanzo places a chaste kiss to Jesse’s mouth.

“You watched over me, spoke honestly and candidly with me,” Hanzo whispers, “I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for me, Jesse. You’re _divine_, and I will spend every moment like this that we have to worship you as you deserve.”

“Wow, Sweetheart,” Jesse starts as he huffs a shy little laugh, at a loss for words, gently bumping Hanzo’s nose with his affectionately, “You really don’t half-ass anythin’’, do ya?”

“You wouldn’t have it any other way,” Hanzo purrs, finally opening his eyes to look into Jesse’s.

Jesse’s eyes are bright with emotion, and he cups Hanzo’s cheek as he pulls Hanzo into more kisses. Hanzo kisses him deep and slow, rolling his hips down against Jesse’s thigh. The pleasure that had been building between them is still simmering below the surface. Hanzo trails his hands back down Jesse’s neck and down his chest, kneading Jesse’s soft pecs and making him softly whine when he pinches a nipple a little meanly.

Jesse’s tail is thwapping against the blanket below them both in excited little flicks and waves. His large hands trail down Hanzo’s back and gently knead at Hanzo’s ass, a finger dipping between Hanzo’s cheeks to tease over his hole. Hanzo hums and rolls his hips back against the touch, but his mind digs up his earlier desire and he finds himself wondering if Jesse would be willing to try.

He shuffles off of Jesse’s thigh and between his legs, slowly rolling his hips against the heat of Jesse’s sheath. Slick is already starting to gather at the apex of it, and Hanzo’s cock slides through it and soft, damp fur as he rolls his hips. He brings one of his hands down and strokes over the opening, and Jesse’s hips buck, only the barest hint of Jesse’s cock beginning to show.

Hanzo watches Jesse’s face as he trails his knuckles gently over his sheath, teasing the opening and the tip of Jesse’s dick on each pass. Jesse pants and whines at the teasing touch, and he locks eyes with Hanzo. Slowly, while still holding Jesse’s gaze, Hanzo’s fingers trace around the soft silky opening of his sheath.

“Do you think,” Hanzo starts, tilting his head to give Jesse an innocent look as he licks his lips, “do you think I could fuck you here?”

The reaction is immediate. Jesse’s hips buck and he snarls a moan, the action causing Hanzo’s fingers to teasingly dip inside. When Hanzo pulls them away Jesse whines, his ears flicked back in embarrassment at how high a noise it was.

“Damn, Han, warn a fella when you say shit like that,” Jesse chastises very halfheartedly, his legs falling more open on either side of Hanzo.

“‘l’ll consider it, but that’s not a yes or no, Jesse,” Hanzo teasingly chastises right back.

When it’s clear Hanzo will not continue unless given a straight answer, Jesse rumbles a whine and rolls his hips up against Hanzo. He has to stand his ground lest Jesse’s movement staggers him. Jesse’s tail flicks impatiently and Hanzo only stares at him pointedly, Jesse’s cheeks growing redder by the second.

“Gods, _yes_,” Jesse finally admits, “I wanna see how it feels. I’d be lyin’ if I said I haven’t thought of it too.”

Knowing its a mutual desire makes an excited little shiver travel down Hanzo’s spine. Now more enthusiastic with Jesse’s equally enthusiastic response, Hanzo’s fingers trail around the opening of Jesse’s sheath. The tips of his thick fingers dipping in and out in a slow rhythm that causes Jesse to moan softly each time. Hanzo starts to gently work his fingers deeper in, the slick Jesse’s sheath is leaking to slick the way for his own cock as it emerges helping him in the slow, teasing prep.

The head of Jesse’s cock is nearly out when Hanzo deems him ready to take him. Hanzo can feel Jesse’s hand flex on his back as he takes position, one other grasping at Hanzo’s arm gently while the other two brace himself, claws already catching on the picnic blanket in his eager anticipation. Hanzo takes himself in the hand that’s wet with Jesse’s slick and strokes himself slowly, enjoying the slide of his hand over the head of his cock. Jesse watches him impatiently, all three of those luminous eyes locked on Hanzo’s fist moving over his own cock. Jesse’s large legs fall even further apart, and he shuffles impatiently, knocking against the sakura tree behind him and causing petals to shower down around them.

It’s a gorgeous sight, Jesse bathed in filtered sunlight and framed by falling petals. Hanzo tells Jesse as much.

Jesse doesn’t have time to complain in his embarrassment before Hanzo moves to brace himself on Jesse’s belly, the tip of his cock soon kissing the velvet opening of Jesse’s sheath. Jesse’s entire body stills as Hanzo eases inside, Jesse’s cock a blazing heat next to Hanzo’s. By the time Hanzo is fully seated, both of them are panting. Jesse’s tongue is trapped between his own fangs and he whines softly, his tail flicking impatiently.

Hanzo bites his own lip and slowly starts to move his hips. Both he and Jesse groan loud as he slides back home, and after a few more testing thrusts, Hanzo’s pace quickens. Neither of them is going to last long at this rate, but neither of them cares as they relish in this new experience together. Jesse’s panting and gasping softly, one of his hands drifting up to comb through his own hair before it comes to cover half of his face.

“Is this alright?” Hanzo asks softly, lifting his head to look up at Jesse.

“Y-yeah,” Jesse confirms, the telltale ripping sound of the blanket below them telling Hanzo _exactly_ how much he is enjoying this, “Gods, _yes_, Han.”

“Good,” Hanzo says with a breathless grin.

He picks up his pace, soon lost in the heat of Jesse around him and how Jesse’s cock is pressed against his every time he fucks into Jesse’s sheath. Jesse’s breath is hitching with increasing frequency, the hot, slick friction driving them both closer and closer to the edge.

Jesse leans up suddenly, hunching close as he can to Hanzo in order to kiss him. The kiss is deep and dirty, Jesse’s large, long tongue licking in deep into Hanzo’s mouth. Hanzo moans into the kiss, reaching and grasping at Jesse’s thick beard. The kiss breaks as Jesse growls out low and long, his eyes screwing shut. He’s close, of that Hanzo has no doubt.

Hanzo tugs Jesse’s head down close again, kissing him roughly, murmuring praise between his own pleasured sighs and the kisses. His hips are moving faster, the slick sound of Hanzo driving himself inside Jesse over and over is lewd and loud. Jesse’s hips are beginning to buck against Hanzo’s, chasing his end. Hanzo purrs out more praises, and it eventually becomes too much for Jesse. His entire body shivers as he comes, and he whines and clutches at Hanzo who tugs him into more kisses.

Hanzo and Jesse lock eyes when the last kiss breaks, and at the heated look of desire in Jesse’s gaze, he pulls out of Jesse’s sheath. His thighs are dripping with Jesse’s spend, and his cock is still achingly hard and covered in Jesse’s slick. Hanzo’s arms wrap around Jesse’s neck as his beloved husband shuffles and settles into a different position to lay Hanzo down, his legs soon coaxed apart by two large and very gentle hands so he’s bare to Jesse. There’s a low, happy rumble in Jesse’s chest and he winks at Hanzo as he moves down to settle between Hanzo’s spread legs.

Jesse’s tongue is hot on Hanzo’s skin, cleaning his own seed off of his husband’s thighs. Hanzo sighs through his nose, his hands reaching for Jesse’s mane to grasp at something while he writhes in his frustration and pleasure. Then he’s gasping as Jesse’s mouth slides over his cock, hands reaching to grasp Jesse’s horns to hold on for dear life as Jesse rumbles a content purr. Jesse does not take long to bring Hanzo to his completion.

A satisfied, boneless Hanzo is gently lifted into Jesse's arms for a cuddle. Hanzo snuggles as close as possible, humming softly when Jesse pulls the serape around them both. Hanzo dozes lightly, enjoying Jesse’s warmth combined with the soft breeze. He wants to stay here forever, curled up with his beloved.

It’s Jesse that gently nuzzles at him to wake him, and Hanzo grumbles and pouts. But Jesse is right, Hanzo’s stolen him away long enough, and they both need to return to their respective tasks. Though they do take their sweet time redressing and packing up the blanket and basket.

Jesse leans down and kisses Hanzo as he takes Hanzo’s hand in his, also taking the basket for Hanzo. His face breaks into a smile as the kiss lingers, Jesse’s still amorous and Hanzo can tell that he too would love nothing more than to laze in the sun with Hanzo. Gently, he reaches and cups Jesse’s face, stroking through his beard, appreciating the sunlight and petals and Jesse in this moment. The soft look in Jesse’s eyes tells Hanzo that he’s doing the same.

Eventually, they do walk back down the hill to return to help work on the settlement, though there are some knowing looks sent both of their ways. Neither can find it in them to be bothered though, everyone is happy for them.

Hanzo and Jesse are relatively well behaved as the building efforts continue, though they know they are not the only couple that takes opportune moments to sneak off. The good fortune of the Hanamurans continue, some of the happy couples are expecting as the first of the homes are finished when summer rolls around. Kimiko and Miss Emi believe the news to be a good omen of a steady, prosperous future for their new village.

Hanzo and Jesse’s own homestead is finished at the height of the summer. They celebrate with fine sake Hanzo had purchased using the extra funds he’d earned as a mercenary for hire when the villages nearest their new settlement had need of skilled men such as he and Genji. He’s spinning the tale of the Oni the brothers felled for Jesse, gesturing wildly and miming the battle, the sake making him bold and animated while Jesse’s leaning easily on the _engawa _of their home, his three eyes bright and luminous in the dark of the summer night as he watches Hanzo’s performance.

Hanzo eventually tires of his reenactment and sways over to Jesse where he promptly falls against Jesse’s body. He mutters something drunkenly against Jesse’s chest as Jesse adjusts Hanzo in his arms, and Hanzo merely shifts and nuzzles into Jesse’s pecs as Jesse’s body bounces with his laughter at Hanzo’s drunken antics. The Sake has barely any effect on Jesse, what with his size in his full monster form, but he did partake of the drink.

“What was that, baby?” Jesse asks when his laughter quiets, adjusting Hanzo gently in his arms again so Hanzo won’t be muffled by Jesse’s chest, “You were all muffled, Sweetie.”

“Do you know I love you?” Hanzo mutters, taking the opportunity to worm up Jesse’s body and wrap his arms loosely around Jesse’s neck, his tinctured starry eyes shining in the dark of the summer night, “So much. Fought a Witch for you, and I would fight more of them for you. I’d fight the _Gods _for you.”

“I know you would Darlin’,” Jesse says, fond and exasperated, “I’d very much like it if you didn’t though, because then how am I supposed to give you all the kisses if you’re locked in the battle of the ages?”

“You’re right,” Hanzo says with grave solemnity, his cheeks tinged pink and wisps of his hair escaped from his ponytail, “How foolish of me to ignore my most important duty as your husband. I must rectify this.”

Hanzo clumsily presses kisses to Jesse’s face as he shakes with giggles. His laughter brings a warm smile to Hanzo’s face, those eyes shining with love and adoration. Jesse strokes some wayward strands of hair from Hanzo’s face, and Hanzo happily leans into the touch and hums softly.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Hanzo murmurs as he nuzzles Jesse’s palm, “Do you know I love you?”

“I know,” Jesse answers softly, smiling down at Hanzo warmly as he slowly tries to worm into a more comfortable position in Jesse’s many arms, “Know it better than anyone.”

Hanzo hums softly and sleepily, pleased, “Good. I love you so much.”

“Love you too, Sweetheart,” Jesse leans down and presses a kiss to the top of Hanzo’s head, unable to hold back a snort when Hanzo starts to snore softly in his arms, “Goodnight, baby. I hope your dreams are as sweet as you.”

Hanzo just shuffles in his sleep to cuddle closer to Jesse, and Jesse rubs up and down his back gently. One of his other hands trailing softly over Hanzo’s face, the warm flush on his cheeks, tucking another errant strand of hair behind his ear. He’s beautiful, and he’s _Jesse’s_, a fact that still baffles him. Overcome with affection for the man in his arms, Jesse leans down and presses a kiss to each corner of Hanzo’s ruined eyes and then his forehead.

He’ll eventually take Hanzo inside to turn in for the night as well in their bed, in their _home_, the very notion making a smile cross Jesse’s features. He just desires to watch the fireflies that are fluttering through the summer night air, curled up with the man who holds and protects his heart. Jesse rumbles softly and lays his big head gently on top of Hanzo’s, his three eyes closing in contentment.

Here, with Hanzo safe and asleep in his arms, bathed in the light of a warm summer night, Jesse is _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features art I commissioned from [ Severeni ](https://twitter.com/severenitm) you can retweet/view the piece on twitter [ Here! ](https://twitter.com/severeninaughty/status/1281320058032136195?s=21)


	36. Epilogue: Watcher in the Woods

The cart creaks on the quiet road, and there’s little other sound but friendly chatter and the gentle thuds of horse hooves on the packed earth. The trees that frame the road filter out the sunlight, making it much easier for Hanzo to see with his Dragon’s Sight. After all this time he’s kept it since it makes his work, and Genji’s, much easier by being able to see angered spirits they are often hired to deal with on their own turf.

Luckily he and Genji are not on one such job today. Instead, it’s a much simpler one, escorting a merchant cart full of sweets through the woods to one of the other villages in the area. The couple who owns the cart is a pair of women, named Lena and Emily, from very far away, and they do not know the area so well. Hanzo and Genji had taken the job immediately, happy to finally have a more laid back day of work.

Jesse had opted to stay home today to help around the village. Most likely, he’s currently being clambered and climbed over by the village children as the parents tend to their fields. Babysitting. Hanzo has to smile at the thought.

Soon enough, the village the merchant cart is destined for comes into view. Genji and Hanzo escort the cart right to the gate. Lena hands off the pouch of gold owed for their service right to Hanzo. Before they turn their horses around to head home though, Hanzo digs through the pouch and pulls out a gold coin after sharing a look with Genji.

“If you don’t mind,” Hanzo begins sheepishly, “My brother and I would like to buy some of your wares.”

“Oh! Right!” Lena brightens up, and Emily digs out a little lockbox that jangles with coins as she moves it, “How many candy bags an’ what kind can I getcha, luv?”

Genji and Hanzo exchange another look before Hanzo holds out the gold.

“Whatever this can get us,” Hanzo starts, adding quickly, “If it can get us one of everything, that would be wonderful.”

Lena stares at him blankly, “It’s gonna getcha quite a bit more than that.”

Hanzo and Genji spend a lot of time debating all what to get, which ends up being a lot. The two women are at least incredibly patient as Hanzo and Genji deliberate over the individual tastes of their family and friends. Hanzo does get a few bags of a certain strawberry sweet that he’s been eying this entire time. They even get sour lemon drops for their mother.

With saddlebags soon full of sweets, the two spur their horses around, wave the two merchants goodbye, and then head toward home. Hanzo can’t help but dig into the strawberry sweets on the way back, and Genji starts teasing him for his sweet tooth. At least until Hanzo offers him one.

The sun has drifted across the sky and is just beginning to dip towards the horizon when Hanzo and Genji finally reach a familiar section of the road. Carefully, they urge their horses off of the actual road and through the brush, towards the entrance to their village. Soon enough there is nothing but darkness that makes the horses nervous, but Hanzo and Genji travel through the curving tunnel with ease.

Eventually, they step back out into the secret forest where their slowly growing village lays sprawled out further in the woods. It’s now been a few years since they first came upon this place and started to set down roots here, but now it’s starting to feel like home. They ride their horses the rest of the way into the village proper. When they come up to where the village centre has slowly built up around the tallest sakura, both Hanzo and Genji swing off of their horses to greet those who approach them to welcome them back.

Genji immediately goes up to Zenyatta when the golem appears, leaning up to kiss his cheek before he takes both of Zenyatta’s hands in his and starts talking animatedly. Hanzo rolls his eyes since it leaves him to hand out the treats they brought back by himself until Genji remembers. Soon enough, all of the treats is handed out aside from their own. Genji then parts from Hanzo, leaving Hanzo to deliver Kimiko’s share of the sweets.

He finds his mother within her own home, along with Miss Emi. The space is quaint, far from the splendour of Shimada Castle, but his mother has made herself at home. She’s sipping tea with an early supper laid out before her, and she smiles warmly when Hanzo sits down to visit.

His father’s great purple dragon is loosely curled entirely around the small table, its head resting in Kimiko’s lap. The sight brings a warm, wistful little smile to Hanzo’s face, and when he looks up to his mother, she’s wearing a similar look on hers.

“Your father would be proud of you, Hanzo. You and Genji both,” Kimiko says, not for the first time, “I know he’s watching over us.”

She lifts her hand, and not for the first time it seems like she moves it to rest her hand on the purple dragon’s head. Hanzo wonders still if his mother can feel him near. She’s certainly, at the very least, aware of the dragon in other ways. The day Hanzo faced the Witch proved as much.

“I know,” Hanzo answers, “and I know he is too.”

Kimiko smiles at her son softly.

The conversation drifts to other topics that are not so full of sad wistful wishes. A couple was blessed with a newborn today, and the crops are coming in wonderfully. Hanzo’s home had also seen a visitor in the form of a messenger hawk shortly after the brothers disembarked, arriving with another contract for Genji and Hanzo to look over. Apparently it had scared the heck out of Jesse, having not been the one having to receive a message before. Hanzo sighs in fondness as he pictures how startled Jesse must have been to have a large bird of prey swoop at him out of nowhere.

The bird, Hanzo learns, is thankfully fine despite Jesse almost swatting at it. Hanzo will still send his own messenger hawk, Hiroto, back when he has an answer to the summons in order to let the received bird rest before it can fly home. Jesse's at least more familiar with Hiroto and is likely to recognize the bird when it returns.

He soon bids his mother goodbye as the evening begins to set in to start heading to his and Jesse’s homestead. It is on the outer edges of the slowly expanding village, deeper into the woods. Hanzo makes sure his horse has been led into the stables and their hooves cleaned and tended before he starts into the woodland path on the outskirts.

The evening breeze is cool on Hanzo’s face as he closes his eyes and simply enjoys the sounds of home. Leaves rustling through the trees, the cries of the evening cicadas beginning as they start to croon their songs for their nightly performances. There’s also the occasional sound of nocturnal birds of prey. Hanzo fights down a smile as he opens his eyes and continues down the path closer to home and the sounds of night grow suddenly silent.

_Do we even need to inform you that he waits along the path for you? _Hanzo’s dragons tease.

Hanzo shakes his head no, his pace already starting to quicken, eager to see his husband. When he rounds a bend in the path, a large head whips up at his approach, three luminous eyes shining in the evening dark of the woods. Jesse’s sat at the base of the large tree that is the halfway marker between the village and their homestead.

Jesse’s immediately and excitedly scrambling to stand when Hanzo breaks out into a run, those four arms waiting to catch and then fold around Hanzo as he leaps into them. Jesse curls around Hanzo and spins him in his hold, pressing kisses where he can reach as Hanzo nuzzles into Jesse’s neck. Eventually, Jesse sets Hanzo down and smiles.

“Welcome, home, Sweetheart,” Jesse rumbles, his tail flicking behind him excitedly, “Made it there an’ back in one piece, looks like.”  
  
"I did," Hanzo replies, "I brought home treats too!"

Hanzo smiles warmly as two of Jesse’s hands slide over his form, looking for injury still to further reassure himself that Hanzo did not come to harm. Hanzo catches sight of something wrapped around part of Jesse’s tail and catches the flicking appendage, raising his eyebrows at the bandages around part of it. He grabs and catches Jesse's tail, looking up at him pointedly.

“Robert got after me again,” Jesse admits, sheepish, “Pecked me up real good. I swear that rooster has it out for me.”

“When you name a bird after a fellow you had a falling out with, you’re going to invite such negative energies,” Hanzo chastises gently, bringing up the wrapped wound to his lips to kiss it better before he lets Jesse have his tailback, “I hope that the rest of your day was better spent than having your tail pecked violently by our rooster.”

“Yeah! Wasn’t gonna go over new jobs without you an’ Genji, so instead I watched o’er the kids in the village again,” Jesse begins.

Jesse smiles wide as he begins to speak animatedly about the shenanigans the children got up to, trying to explain for Hanzo the latest complex stories of heroes and villains the children created while they played. Hanzo listens fondly, his hand in Jesse’s as they start to walk the path to their home.

The stars that are slowly appearing above are bright and doubled in the realm of spirits. Hanzo could stare at Jesse all night bathed in their light as he speaks of everything and nothing. He must be wearing some sort of painfully besotted expression, because Jesse blushes as he finally looks to Hanzo in the middle of his tale, trailing off bashfully.

“Whatcha starin’ at?” Jesse asks as his ears flick back in his embarrassment and he smiles shyly.

Hanzo reaches his free hand and strokes along Jesse’s stretched, snout-like jaw, can’t help but trail a hand up to his cow-like ears. Jesse hunches down closer to Hanzo’s level from his towering height, his too-long digitigrade legs making up most of it. Jesse’s tail, long and whip-like and fluffy at the end, flicks slowly side to side in contentment.

“You, My Heart,” Hanzo murmurs with a lovestruck smile as Jesse’s four large hands gently come up to hold Hanzo, one of them gently trailing a claw along Hanzo’s cheek.

Jesse rumbles softly and nuzzles Hanzo’s hand, placing one of his hands over Hanzo’s to cradle it as he kisses the palm. Hanzo moves closer and moves his hands to pet through Jesse’s mane, which is so much softer after all the haircare and brushing Hanzo absolutely spoils Jesse with.

Those three luminous eyes drift half-closed as Hanzo’s fingers run through his mane. Hanzo gently urges Jesse’s head even lower to press a kiss to the corner of Jesse’s third eye. Jesse hums softly before he gently slips his free hands down Hanzo’s body, gently lifting him up into his arms.

Hanzo gently strokes Jesse’s cheeks as he begins to carry Hanzo the rest of their way back to their homestead. He cannot help leaning in to steal a kiss. As always, it is soft and slow and sweet, and it feels like coming home.

Just one of many kisses they will share over the rest of their lives together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here we are, arriving at the end.  
This entire fic has been a ride! I never expected it the feedback it's received, being so very self-indulgent, and I'm so thankful still for all the art and comments it's received! I greatly enjoyed taking this story through it's ups and downs with you all.  
I still am very much in love with this universe, and I have a few other things I want to write for it. I hope that when I get around to writing those that you will enjoy them too!
> 
> I know the world has been crazy, and there's so much work to be done to fight the injustice in it and do what we can to stay safe in the middle of a global pandemic. I know this fic has been a bit of a bright spot for some of you in the middle of all of it too, and I'm glad I could provide a moment of respite for you.  
We're gonna get through this, stay strong, stay safe!  
With Love, Kali.

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna chat at me about McHanzo or any other of the pairings I ship, catch me on my fic tumblr [Angstgremlin](http://angstgremlin.tumblr.com) or you can now find me at my Twitter [Angstgremlin](https://twitter.com/Angstgremlin)
> 
> ARTS  
I ended up sketching [The nose kiss from Chapter 9](https://twitter.com/angstgremlin/status/1235860595380850688?s=21) during critical role!  
I sketched again so [here's a Monster Jesse](https://twitter.com/Angstgremlin/status/1237585413214093314?s=20)  
I doodled [Jesse's Kitty Disguise](https://twitter.com/Angstgremlin/status/1273432549906358273)
> 
> FANARTS:  
[Fias_Overart](https://twitter.com/fias_overart) Drew their interpretation of [Monster McCree!](https://twitter.com/fias_overart/status/1167451940172783616)  
Over on Twitter [RebeccaCampani1](https://twitter.com/RebeccaCampani1) Drew the scene in chapter three [of Hanzo using touch to see Jesse's face](https://twitter.com/rebeccacampani1/status/1177645332848660480?s=21)  
[Disuno](https://twitter.com/dis1dagreat) drew [Their interpretation of Jesse!](https://twitter.com/dis1dagreat/status/1235734171953164289?s=21)  
[So Minh](https://twitter.com/haedraulics) Drew the [wonderful art of Hanzo using touch to See Jesse](https://twitter.com/haedraulics/status/1240761233571274753?s=21) and gave me permission to embed it into the fic! It's now sitting pretty in its proper place in chapter 3!!!  
[ Dickymickyslick](https://twitter.com/dickymickyslick) Also drew a very lovely[ Monster McCree!](https://twitter.com/dickymickyslick/status/1241132363083628551?s=21)  
[ Roysaladykiller ](https://twitter.com/roysaladykiller) be providin' some good good[ Jesse and Hanzo chillin'!](https://twitter.com/roysaladykiller/status/1246025885540585472?s=21)  
[ Artistfromouter ](https://twitter.com/artistfromouter)[ Gives us more monster Jesse! ](https://twitter.com/artistfromouter/status/1242599051171749889?s=21)  
[ Sev ](https://twitter.com/severenitm) painted an absolutely beautiful picture of [ Jesse and Hanzo! ](https://twitter.com/severenitm/status/1242600202835542022?s=21)  
and they also did their interpretation of [ Zen! ](https://twitter.com/severenitm/status/1284273695377235976?s=21)  
[ Oofitsbethi ](https://twitter.com/oofitsbethi) drew us a matching [ Hanzo and Jesse ](https://twitter.com/oofitsbethi/status/1268232957459906561?s=21)  
[ Loserwagon ](https://twitter.com/loserwagon) drew a [ Monster Jesse! ](https://twitter.com/loserwagon/status/1272667633456906247)  
[ Eimeh ](https://twitter.com/shimizuaimee) made some fantastic art [ of the Witch! ](https://twitter.com/shimizuaimee/status/1273889647785992192?s=21)  
[Mangsoart](https://twitter.com/mangzoart) also painted their version of [ Watcher!Jesse ](https://twitter.com/mangzoart/status/1279154772898168832?s=21)  
[Spratzy](https://twitter.com/spratzy) [Gives us some tender Jesse + Hanzo ](https://twitter.com/spratzy/status/1284208048215654400?s=21%22)   
[Stardust_Peach](https://twitter.com/stardust_peach) [drew the boys!](https://twitter.com/stardust_peach/status/1298817412557467650)  

> 
> COMMISSIONED ARTS:  
I commissioned the very talented [ Sev ](https://twitter.com/severenitm) to paint another wonderful art of [Jesse Realizing how in Love he is with Hanzo ](https://twitter.com/severenitm/status/1254843306820894720?s=21) from chapter 13  
I also commissioned Sev to paint the [ tender loving ](https://twitter.com/severeninaughty/status/1281320058032136195?s=21) between Hanzo + Jesse in Chapter 35  
[Bluandorange](https://twitter.com/8bluandorange8) was doing some commissions for BLM so I requested [a fierce starry eyed Hanzo](https://twitter.com/8bluandorange8/status/1271134134728040452?s=21)  
Also if you love Music, I made a [ Playlist for this fic! ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPSzx6vAVlZ7pjK17y3OEQF7S4FtKUyxc)


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